833 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3d7c01f7f0c51557c2af839117a774b6.jpg 78407ec8df53406fce9892e5a7a4f17f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00107 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road Crosses Field of Kaoliang Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a line of wagons traveling down a dirt road winding through a sorghum field in China. Men in uniforms holding rifles stand alongside the road, one of them appears to be speaking with a farmer in a wagon. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides China Agriculture Horse-drawn vehicles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/03fa2ea023f71a7870f3d700dc561cd9.jpg 469895b3879082b31cb2be90228eb4a5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00111 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road crosses stone arch bridge Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a stone bridge with three arches crossing a river in China. A crowd of people and several wagons are visible aross the bridge, with a few on the bank of the river below. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides China Bridges Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/527fd9439d9b90926fe723ef578b6adc.jpg f7e9c90a8510e0e8e42411b5c7fb2743 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00103 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road in loess country up Yellow River Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a dirt road with between steep hilsides. On the road are two small horse-drawn carriages and three people leaning against the earth wall. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides Loess--China China Roads Horse-drawn vehicles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0ca18fcdff19fa9ce1d8d218b6b4715d.jpg d04eaa7b2f75343c09d6fed42f891dde Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00330 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1939 Title A name given to the resource Road near Jacala Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a switchback mountain road near Jacala, Mexico. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides Mexico Roadways Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a55b1ef71be1656f3645775dc8f1f859.jpg 4bdc0704b6bc28aad051d64609c87c5b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00110 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road on dike and train of heavy baggage Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a line of horse-drawn wagons traveling down a dirt road through farm fields in China. The wagons are laden with a variety of bags, baskets, and crates. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides China Horse-drawn vehicles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/67a03039a7d9057340f461e2271d9354.jpg 0b51009af986ac63bb4ee565d5c06b85 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00109 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road rough and upset cart Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a crowd of people surrounding an overturned cart on a dirt path in China. Distant fields of grain are visible in the background. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides China Horse-drawn vehicles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7967c1587cde4e3f405b9c45bb5f703c.jpg 83ff059b6b615eb9898e68b73f8a31a4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00108 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1918-1919 Title A name given to the resource Road rough for carts Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a man wearing a pith helmet standing on a rocky hillside next to a rough path. On the path a laden horse-drawn cart is tilting precariously as it moves farther up the hill. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides China Horse-drawn vehicles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e5858d079c1aa0d7344b4f2b0708ff2.jpg 34baef2c4d977fb492bb30be41fbad3b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_G073-0003 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-06 Title A name given to the resource Road Sign to Jedburgh, Scotland Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a road sign located in Roxburgh County, Scotland. The sign reads, "County of Roxburgh, Scotland, Jedburgh 11 M, Newcastle 47 M" and is located at the Carter Bar pass on the A68 road on the Anglo-Scottish border. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Jedburgh (Scotland) Street signs Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cdb9246a2df95e27741179eaf861009c.jpg 9593a8320ba06d9f41aca7d1880ca292 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RoarkTerry Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1980 Title A name given to the resource Roark, Terry Description An account of the resource Terry Roark Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng 1980s https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8040236981260437cc87c3eee1be1b53.jpg ab8d064da7a17d0c15ef05992d67ab5e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0044 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner and Dennis Thompson of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner and drummer Dennis Thompson of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Big 10 Summer Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f4d51f315acea2df7de6b99d1860f2bf.jpg f0fe3a14bdb6f3140b090b14301d0cef Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0002 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner and Michael Davis of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner and bassist Michael Davis of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Concert in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/605fdde0b2cc74c319032da8c3d08aa1.jpg 165f0fd4c227f1c045fea229c06e253e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner and Michael Davis of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner and guitarist Michael Davis of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Big 10 Summer Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e105bdd4b075eb05353374f3ae7f0050.jpg 247691002769b0ed72be53aa353ca477 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0001 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner and Wayne Kramer of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner and guitarist Wayne Kramer of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Concert in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e3b9c11b811c662c35f5546dee01916.jpg 6e5e4f254a82b80288399b3032a85e3f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0003 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Concert in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a7605ab09a84ec10d536acbf64210d8f.jpg f3c9c4084da2dce19c4b57313c114dba Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Concert in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b2a85c38a25ec4022120bc33ff1146c3.jpg f94c5d58abc20d0e53311ba8ef4e13b2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K168-0005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-07-18 Title A name given to the resource Rob Tyner of MC5 Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of vocalist Rob Tyner of the band MC5 performing at the WCFL Concert in Chicago, Illinois on July 18, 1970, by Douglas R. Gilbert. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource MC5 (Musical group) WCFL (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.) Concerts Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Chicago (inhabited place) 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ec68a062eadd4c5c05f0fe9158460fb7.pdf c6a64eaa4e223e4bfaee2340dd35dd6c PDF Text Text Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department Russell Robbins Interview Total Time – (41:17) Interviewed by Walter Urick, February 19, 2016. Background • He is the son of Mason and Dorothy Robbins o His father worked for Doctor Munger from 1946 until 1959 • He was born in September of 1941 in Hart, Michigan o From a family of 9 girls and 2 boys • He graduated from Hart High School in 1960 Work History Overview – (1:27) • From 1950 to 1960 he worked with his dad at Doctor Munger’s farm in the summer • He bought and took over a gas station in 1960 • From 1965 to 1972 he ran a Dodge car dealership • In 1971 he started teaching part-time at West Shore Community College in Scottville as an automotive instructor • He worked up to be a self-educated technical person o He took a correspondence course in 1961 with the National Automotive Service Excellency Group o He helped to organize the state of Michigan’s mechanic certification test and mechanic certification procedures • In 1991 he went back into business because the college eliminated the automotive program, and so he had an independent shop until 2003 • He then got involved in the Hart Historic District as a volunteer Doctor Munger’s Farming Operations – (5:40) • Doctor Munger owned 500 acres of cherries by 1950, as one of the largest tart cherry growers in the world • Russell was involved in the operation by trimming trees, handling fertilizer…but he didn’t pick the cherries • It would take 400-600 people six weeks to pick all the cherries • Doctor Munger’s orchard locations 1 �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department o o o o o o o 12 acres on West Main Street in Hart, which is now Plum Street 30 acres west on 64th called the Bray Farm 80 and 12 acres on the Clark Farm 27 acres on Tyler Road 144 acres on Poke Road at 116th, called the McDonald Farm 80 acres called the England Farm where Russell helped plant the cherries 400 acres on Juniper Beach ▪ Doctor Munger would sell lots there and people would build cottages ▪ 164 acres of cherries at Juniper Beach How the Cherries Were Harvested – (10:29) • They had two crews from 250 to 350 people • They would pick by trees instead of by rows • They put the cherries into lugs when picking • At the checkout station, the cherries would be weighed and people got punches in their tickets for all their cherries picked • Doctor Munger and his wife came in the payroll car every day to pay the workers o Because they paid in cash and therefore had $6,000-12,000 in their car, they had an armed guard with them • If a worker had 200 pounds and it was 2 cents a pound, they got $4 • It took about six weeks to pick the cherries • On an average day, 500 people would pick 70,000-80,000 pounds of cherries • The cherries had to be picked, hauled, taken to the canning factory, loaded and unloaded, etc • In 1954 Floyd Cargill changed to hauling cherries in water tanks in trucks The Cherry Pickers – (16:28) • There was discrimination so all of the workers were Caucasian • Doctor Munger would go to Florida every year to visit the people and recruit them • None were Hispanic in the 1950s • The workers came from Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee • They were housed in little cabins at a number of the farming locations • Russell worked there from when he was 10-19 years old 2 �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department A Typical Work Day – (19:25) • They could work from 6:00am until 5:00pm • Around 300 people that came to work every year • The average male could pick 1,000 pounds of cherries a day o When paying him and his family, they could make $75-100 a day maybe • The camps had a central water location, but people showered in Lake Michigan • They always had to haul around 500 people and 200 ladders • Supervisors were school teachers or full-time employees • Some people would only pick the bottoms of the trees if they were leaving town, so some workers followed behind to clean up the tops • They had to haul the cherries to Oceana Canning Company in Shelby • Russell and his father started the cherry shaker program in 1957 after Doctor Munger’s son had taken over • Farming has gotten much more advanced today than those days Outstanding Memories – (27:30) • Russell and others would have fun on the sand dunes with their tractors • He contracted work from Pearl Anderson’s lunch stand, and he would sell candy bars and pop to the workers in the fields o He remembers a day when kids were fooling around with his pop selling business The Migrants and Doctor Munger’s Son – (31:37) • Russell’s first girlfriend, Shirley, was from Georgia o Her family came up to pick cherries, and they were a well-off family • He can remember other people that he worked with in the farms • Doctor Munger’s son wasn’t as much of a business man as his father, and the operations defaulted quickly • The Gebheart family bought it, and then Ronny Longcore bought it after that • The orchards got old and were taken out, and the area was developed into cottages Oceana County – (34:33) 3 �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department • • • • Russell believes the number one factor to the area’s economy is the tourist business, such as Silver Lake and Pentwater o Double JJ Ranch is a boom to the economy too Second in the county is farming o Years ago they did farming manually, but today it is an agribusiness o Farming depends on the weather and the prices o Farmers are more educated today and processing plants help them out too Russell was offered the chance to move and teach in Flint, but he turned it down He was brought up at Knox’s Swamp Doctor Munger and His Wife – (38:08) • His wife, Edith, was involved in the farming operations by keeping the books and being in the payroll car every night • Doctor Munger had a free gas pump for all of his full-time employees • Their old house is now the Oceana Genealogical and Historical Society • Russell remembers a story of his father taking him to visit Doctor Munger’s house when he was young • Russell doesn’t regret being brought up on a farm o He feels sorry for the younger generation today that has so much mental stress as opposed to the physical stress that his generation went through 4 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bede772e9a327c36fb2f7c7ddd0ad9f3.pdf e185f0342ef269127b736af32da15ae9 PDF Text Text Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department Entrevista de Russell Robbins Tiempo total – (41:17) Entrevistado por Walter Urick, 19 Febrero 2016 (Traducido al espaňol por Kassie O’Brien, May 2016) Antecedentes • Él es hijo de Mason y Dorothy Robbins o Su padre trabajó para el Dr. Munger desde 1946 hasta 1959 • Nació en septiembre de 1941 en Hart, Michigan o De una familia de 9 mujeres y 2 varones • Se graduó de Hart High School en 1960 Historial de trabajo – (1:27) • Desde 1950 hasta 1960 Russell trabajó con su padre durante los veranos en las granjas del Dr. Munger • Compró y asumió una gasolinera en 1960 • Desde 1965 hasta 1972 poseyó un concesionario de Dodge • En 1971 empezó a enseñar a tiempo parcial como maestro de automoción en West Shore Community College en Scottville • Se enseñó a ser una persona técnica o Tomó un curso por correspondencia en 1961 con el National Automotive Service Excellency Group o Ayudó a organizar el examen de la certificación de mecánicos para el estado de Michigan y los procedimientos de la certificación • En 1991 volvió a su negocio porque la universidad eliminó el programa de automoción, y así tuvo un taller independiente hasta 2003 • Después se involucró con Hart Historic District (el distrito histórico de Hart) como voluntario Las operaciones agrícolas del Dr. Munger – (5:40) • En 1950, Dr. Munger poseía 500 acres de cerezas, como uno de los cultivadores de cerezas más grandes del mundo �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department • • • Russell participó en las operaciones con la poda de los cerezos, la manipulación del abono… pero no recogió las cerezas Se requirió entre 400 y 600 personas trabajando por seis semanas para lograr recoger todas las cerezas La ubicación de los cerezales de Dr. Munger o 12 acres en la calle West Main en Hart, la cual ahora es la calle Plum o 30 acres al oeste en la calle 64, llamada Bray Farm o 80 y 12 acres llamada Clark Farm o 27 acres en la calle Tyler o 144 acres en las calles Poke y 116, llamada McDonald Farm o 80 acres llamada England Farm, donde Russell ayudó a plantar los cerezos o 400 acres en Juniper Beach ▪ Dr. Munger vendía lotes y había personas que construyeron cabañas allí ▪ 164 acres de cerezas en Juniper Beach Como se cosechaban las cerezas – (10:29) • Había dos equipos que tenían entre 250 y 350 personas • Se dividía el trabajo por cerezos en vez de por filas de cerezos • Se ponían las cerezas en cestas • Se pesaban las cerezas y los trabajadores recibieron marcas en sus recibos para denotar la cantidad de cerezas que recogieron • Dr. Munger y su esposa venían en el auto cada día para pagar a los trabajadores o Había un guardia armado con ellos porque pagaron en efectivo y tuvieron entre 6.000 y 12.000 dólares en el auto • Un trabajador recibió $4 si recogió 200 libras con una tasa de 2 centavos por libra • Duró más o menos seis semanas para recoger las cerezas • En un día promedio, 500 personas recogían 70.000-80.000 libras de cerezas • Se recogían y se acarreaban las cerezas, se transportaban las cerezas a la fábrica de conservas, se realizaba la carga y la descarga de las cerezas, y más • En 1954, Floyd Cargill empezó a acarrear las cerezas en tanques de agua en camiones Las personas que recogieron las cerezas – (16:28) • Existía discriminación, así todos los trabajadores eran caucásicos • Dr. Munger iba a la Florida cada año para visitar a la gente y contratarla �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department • • • • Ningún trabajador era hispano en los años cincuenta Los trabajadores vinieron desde Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, y Tennessee Vivían en cabañas pequeñas en varios lugares Russell trabajó allí desde tenía 10 años hasta que tuviera 19 años Un día típico de trabajo – (19:25) • Se podía trabajar desde las seis de la mañana hasta las cinco de la tarde • Había cerca de 300 personas que regresaban a trabajar cada año • El hombre promedio podía recoger 1.000 libras de cerezas por día o Si se le pagó a él y a su familia, ellos podían ganar quizás $75-100 por día • Los campamentos tuvieron un lugar central de agua, pero la gente se bañaba en el Lago Michigan • Siempre tenían que transportar cerca de 500 personas y 200 escaleras • Los supervisores eran maestros o empleados de tiempo completo • Algunas personas solamente recogieron la parte más baja de los cerezos si iban a irse del pueblo, así otros trabajadores venían detrás para recoger las cerezas en la parte más arriba • Tenían que transportar las cerezas a Oceana Canning Company en el pueblo de Shelby • Russell y su padre iniciaron el programa de los agitadores de cerezos en 1957 después de que el hijo de Dr. Munger asumiera las operaciones • La agricultura es más avanzada hoy en día Memorias espectaculares – (27:30) • Russell y otros trabajadores se divirtieron con sus tractores en las dunas de arena • Russell trabajó para el puesto de almuerzo de Pearl Anderson, y vendió barras de chocolate y refrescos a los trabajadores de campo o Recuerda un día en que los niños estaban haciendo el tonto con sus negocios Los migrantes y el hijo de Dr. Munger – (31:37) • Shirley, la primera novia de Russell, era de Georgia o Su familia vino a recoger las cerezas y tenía bastante dinero • Russell puede recordar a otras personas con quien trabajó en los campos �Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department • • • El hijo de Dr. Munger no era hombre de negocios como su padre, y rápidamente las operaciones empezaron a fracasar La familia Gebheart compró las operaciones, y luego Ronny Longcore las compró Se envejecieron y se sacaron los cerezales, y se desarrolló el área para construir cabañas El condado de Oceana – (34:33) • Russell cree que el factor más importante a la economía del área es el turismo, como en Silver Lake y Pentwater o Double JJ Ranch ayuda la economía también • El segundo factor importante en el condado es la agricultura o En el pasado se hizo la agricultura de forma manual, pero hoy en día es agroindustria o La agricultura depende del tiempo y de los precios o Hoy en día los agricultores tienen más educación y tienen la ayuda de las plantas de procesamiento • Se le ofreció la oportunidad de mudarse a Flint para enseñar, pero Russell la rechazó • Él creció cerca de Knox’s Swamp Dr. Munger y su esposa – (38:08) • Su esposa, Edith, fue parte de las operaciones agrícolas porque mantuvo los registros y vino en el auto cada noche para pagar a los empleados • Había una bomba de gasolina al lado de la casa de Dr. Munger, y él permitió que sus empleados de tiempo completo la usaran • Su casa ahora es el Oceana Genealogical and Historical Society • Russell recuerda una historia cuando su padre le llevó a visitar la casa de Dr. Munger cuando era muy joven • Russell no lamenta que creció en una granja o Le inspira lástima la generación joven hoy en día que tiene muchísimo estrés mental a diferencia del estrés físico que enfrentó la generación de Russell � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/43b2e91d58a2b2a44c01efe0c72120ea.mp3 5c6c53bc001b904550cb60e53f600486 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Shell-Weiss, Melanie Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oceana County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society Relation A related resource Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg audio/mp3 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Image Sound recording Language A language of the resource eng spa Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016 Subject The topic of the resource Oceana County (Mich.) Hart (Mich.) Shelby (Mich.) Farms Farmers Migrant agricultural laborers Hispanic Americans Account books Diaries Oral history Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Robbins, Russell (entrevista de audio y resumen) Descripción Spanish language Description entry Entrevista de historia oral con Russell Robbins. Entrevistado por Walter Urick. Febrero 19, 2016. Russell Robbins nació en septiembre de 1941 en Hart, Michigan. Es hijo de Mason y Dorothy Robbins. Durante los veranos desde 1950 hasta 1960, trabajó con su padre en el cultivo de cerezas del Dr. Munger. Russell participó altamente de varias maneras en las operaciones agrícolas de cerezas, tales como la poda de los cerezos, la venta de refrigerios a los trabajadores de campo, el comienzo del programa de los agitadores de cerezos, y más. Asumió una gasolinera en 1960, y desde 1965 hasta 1972 poseyó un concesionario de Dodge. En 1971 empezó a enseñar a tiempo parcial como maestro de automoción en West Shore Community College. Luego, tuvo un taller independiente hasta 2003. Después se involucró con Hart Historic District (el distrito histórico de Hart) como voluntario, disfrutando de la experiencia gratificante allí. Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Dr. Munger Las operaciones agrícolas de cerezas Automoción Juniper Beach Discriminación El programa de los agitadores de cerezos El turismo Agroindustria Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-06_Robbins_Russell Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Robbins, Russell Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-02-19 Title A name given to the resource Robbins, Russell (audio interview and summary) Description An account of the resource Oral history interview with Russell Robbins. Interviewed by Walter Urick. February 19, 2016. English language recording. Summary in English and Spanish. Russell Robbins was born in September of 1941 in Hart, Michigan. He is the son of Mason and Dorothy Robbins. During the summers from 1950 to 1960, he worked with his dad in Doctor Munger’s cherry farming. Russell was highly involved in the cherry operations in various capacities, such as trimming trees, selling snacks to field workers, beginning the cherry shaker program, and more. He took over a gas station in 1960, and then from 1965 to 1972 he ran a Dodge car dealership. In 1971 he started teaching part-time at West Shore Community College as an automotive instructor. Later, he had an independent shop until 2003. He then got involved in the Hart Historic District as a volunteer, enjoying a very rewarding experience there. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Urick, Walter (interviewer) Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director) Subject The topic of the resource Dr. Munger Cherry farming operations Automotive Juniper Beach Discrimination Cherry shaker program Tourist business Agribusiness Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e6f2978002bff3baeb2ae9312e1a46b.pdf 617dba204c4c1ee3672ff755b1994aec PDF Text Text Speaking Out Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories Interviewee: Robby Fischer Interviewers: Jordan Sayfie Supervising Faculty: Melanie Shell-Weiss Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 10/10/2011 Biography and Description Robby Fischer is a Grand Valley State University Alumni. He talks about his experiences with activism in West Michigan. Transcript SAYFIE: K. My name is Jordan Sayfie and I am here today October 10, at noon, with Rob Fischer at Grand Valley downtown campus we are here to talk about your experiences with activism in West Michigan could you start by telling me a little bit about yourself, where you come from? FISCHER: Yea, I’m originally from outside of the Flint area that’s called flushing Michigan. I was raised there and I came over to Grand Valley in 2007 to start my 4 year degree. I studied liberal studies at Grand Valley. Yea and so I just finished up that degree this past spring and then over the summer I was just living in Ann Arbor, playing music and packing vegetables for a living but yea that was what the summer was and since the beginning of fall I’ve been doing a lot of work with Occupy Wall Street stuff. Starting in September I went out there. For a week and a half and upon returning from that I just moved with a lot of great people over in Muskegon and... Yeah and that’s where I’m at now. SAYFIE: Very cool. I gotta ask you a little bit more about picking vegetables, what was that? Where were you doing that? FISCHER: It was an organization, or I don’t know if it was a business or an organization or one of those in between type deals. But it’s called (inaudible) what their mission is to make local vegetables produced in the winter time. We get local vegetables and local produce from around the Ann Arbor area. .. I think most of all of it is within a 50 mile radius and we process it and by process it I don’t mean we add chemicals. I mean we cut it up and make it edible and we put it into small packages and we freeze it. It’s essentially a CSA for winter time. A CSA, being a community support of agriculture. Where people come and basically get a subscription to (inaudible) and once a month they come pick up their boxes of produce and then they have lots of frozen produce to get through the month. SAYFIE: Very cool, that’s sweet. How did you get into that? Page 1 �FISCHER: I think I found the job on craigslist actually. Yea and... It was cool because it’s all about local food and I was yea and if I’m going to be doing something to make money I might as well be doing something that kinda supports local farmers. .. And it turned out being a really fun job. I was ... yeah.. I really d the people I worked with and it was really, really repetitive stuff picking stems off of broccolis for 3 hours a day. And then spending the rest of the day shucking corn or something. It was still really fun just to get to know some people around there. SAYFIE: And that was just kind of a summer thing? FISCHER: Yeah that was just a summer thing yup. SAYFIE: Alright. How would you describe your own identity? FISCHER: Oh jeez, yeah that’s kinda a big question. I think that there are some things that play into it so go over some of the huge parts of my idea I guess. One huge part is music. I’ve been a musician for a really really long time now. Since I was a kid and I think that yeah sometimes it can be hard for me to explain it exactly where I stand on politics where I stand on activism or just try to figure out those things philosophically. And what not but I think for me, music is the way to express myself even with the uncertainties express myself in a way and say “this is me” I’m this is exactly who I am. And not have to worry about being so particulate about it and have to worry about messing it up because yeah if you’re just making music you can really mess up. Yeah so that’s always been whats really closest to me another big thing that’s always been a part of me is spirituality. I was raised in the Christian faith and all through growing up that was something that was a part of me. .. And it still is and it’s ... the way that... that faith looks with it itʼs the way that I describe it and its my doctrinal thinking or my theology has changed a whole, whole, whole lot. And it’s way different then it was when I was just a you know, in junior high or whatever. But yeah that’s something that’s still very (inaudible) it’s yeah just an acknowledgement of the spiritual realm and its importance on my life and the importance of who I am. Yeah and I think another big part of my identity is... is that I’m Paraguayan. I am from South America. .. I was adopted. This is something that growing up it didn’t mean all that much to me I kinda just didn’t think too much of it. But I guess growing up and realizing that that’s a part of who I am and that’s something that I really want to be proud of and not try and hide is the fact that I am a person of color. And the fact, the different... the different things that that means to me. For instance coming over here .. I heard about Colbus day stuff on the radio and it was .. Colbus day stuff was something I would have never thought about in grade school or whatever. But I think now that Iʼve really started to mesh and realize that the Paraguayan part is really part of who I am south American is really part of who I am. and its Colbus day and things that take on a whole different meaning where yeah I could kind of identify more with these people my ancestors who have been oppressed for hundreds and hundreds of years by colonialism and that type of thing. And yeah and just kinda being able to acknowledge that my alliances are with those people, are with my ancestors in that way. It really just brings a whole new meaning a whole new urgency to any sort of justice work that I do. And yeah so. SAYFIE: Did you, being adopted did you ever feel a disconnect from your cultural background? Page 2 �FISCHER: Yeah I think kind of subliminally I did. I think it was more just something.. where it was never really talked about so I never really, I never really was, never really thought to be identified as a person of color. I was raised by white parents; I was raised in a white culture basically. So I, I have dark skin and dark hair but I can pass as white, and so I just kinda learn to assimilate into that. It was never really discussed but I guess now what Iʼm learning recently in the last few years the importance of thinking about that and yeah holding that as a part of who I am and being proud about that. SAYFIE: Very cool, was there any particular moment growing up or now that you felt you were treated differently because of your beliefs? FISCHER: Yeah I think that.. yeah.. growing up as a Christian I kind of had a lot of Christian beliefs growing up where very main stream. Didnʼt really divert that much from mainstream Christianity but more lately more in the last 10 years or whatever Iʼve definitely had a lot of revamping of what I believe in that area. And .. yeah that can definitely start to get kind of hairy when you start to realize at least for me I see Jesus as someone whoʼs, heʼs always talking about my message is to bring the good news to the poor and he was always talking about the poor, always talking about the oppressed. .. and .. yeah just bring justice to those people and equality. And I think that once I started to realize really what that meant .. once I really started to kind of believe or kind of just started to see the social part of the Gospel a lot of Christians didnʼt to hear that. yeah it can be hard because I guess a lot of Christians Iʼve had interactions with have been “yeah yeah we should try and do stuff or whatever but we shouldnʼt question systems as they are.” We shouldn’t question things capitalism, we shouldnʼt question things global trade that’s just how it is and yea and thatʼs definitely not something that I believe. I definitely think part of my duty as a Christian or just a person is to question large systematic justices that and a lot of people really donʼt to hear that. and its also kinda hard because on the other end, my willingness to question systematic injustices and capitalism or anything has put me under a lot of people who are really counter- cultural so a lot of times around those people they donʼt really to hear about the Christian side of it. So it’s kind of a weird conundr where a lot of the time I’m around people who are “what? Youʼre not a capitalist? What are you a sinner?” and the other times Iʼm around people who are “of course capitalism sucks but youʼre a Christian what are you some sort of sell out?” so itʼs a weird thing. SAYFIE: Yeah kind of a clash of Ideas. FISCHER: Yeah sort of a clash but to me its something that winds up and Its all just one of the same things. Yeah so thatʼs kind of how my beliefs go. Thatʼs where Iʼve felt a lot of that sort of attention. Racially I haven't felt it as much because I said I was raised in a very privileged, white upbringing. Yeah.. very upper middle class, I went to a really really nice school and .. I was raised in Flushing which is a suburb of flint so a lot of times I was really isolated from the realities of Flint and so and in a lot of ways I was given many of the privileges that are associated with being white. And so, yeah so I havenʼt had to come into contact with that as much. SAYFIE: Racially?
 Page 3 �FISCHER: Racially, yeah.
 SAYFIE: So tell me a little bit more about your music. What do you play? th FISCHER: I play guitar and I, when did I start playing? I think 6 grade I got a bass guitar and yeah just kinda went from there. And at first it was just something I picked up sometimes and would kinda get bored of but then I donʼt know I started playing in bands with my friends when I was, in junior high or whatever, and then by high school thatʼs who I was and thatʼs what I cared about... Yeah and it was the type of thing where thatʼs who my type of friends ended up being, most of my friends were musicians and that was definitely something that was really a bonding force between us all, which was great. and its awesome because those are still my best friends. My friends that I made in high school Iʼm still best friends with because of that bond whenever we get together we just play music and we can .. yeah and its always that type of passion, that shared passion, there’s just.. it builds in each other because I donʼt know whenever I see my friends really putting hard work into something a music project and really an awesome CD or something that makes me want to want to push myself further and then that in turn makes my other friends want to push themselves so its something where we all are building on each other’s passion. And so yeah even if I wanted to stop playing music I couldnʼt. So.. SAYFIE: Have you been in any festivals? FISCHER: To see music?
 SAYFIE: Yeah or… FISCHER: Yeah I want to, thatʼs actually something I havenʼt really gotten to do but I really want to ... Bonaroo looked really awesome SAYFIE: I hear its really hot down there. FISCHER: Yeah yeah, or warp tour and stuff, yeah I imagine all those things are pretty hot. Thatʼs why people kept getting really dehydrated and stuff. It sounds fun. SAYFIE: Yeah so youʼve been outside of Michigan, you mentioned New York earlier. Tell me about that, what was that for? FISCHER: New York? SAYFIE: Yeah FISCHER: Ok so, new york was I went out there for occupy wall street. Which is something that I, actually my lib professor Melissa, she was one of my favorite professors in my my whole career at Grand Valley. she sent me an email of this, of this protest that was going on and she was “I think this would be right up your alley.” and its its it was a protest that was kind of being advertised by the magazine Add Busters, which is kind of a counter- cultural magazine thatʼs pretty mainstream. You can Page 4 �find it in Barnes & Noble and they just talk about a lot of really cool activism stuff thatʼs going on. anyways , they were talking about this protest September 17 to just get thousands and thousands of people into into the financial district of Wall Street and occupy the Wall Street area. And just because yeah there are so many people who are so intimately aware into how Wall Street has done terrible things to the majority of our country, while making a small minority of people really really really rich. yeah and so the idea was to kind of , capture all this passion and really vague ambition and get those people who are passionate about it to get together and have them have general assemblies areas where they can talk and discuss what what tactically would be wise and what should be demanded, what should be.. how we should go about doing that. And so, yeah so that was the idea and the date was September 17. And when I first saw that I was “oh that would be really sweet and really really fun, and Iʼm sure id meet a lot of people.” But its in New York so I probably cant or whatever and it was just one of those things where it was “I wish I could but whatever.” And then I got to thinking about it more and I was , because one of the reasons I decided I probably couldnʼt was because my job was technically going into October .. and I was man “I wish I could have been out of this job at this time because I would maybe be able to go.” SAYFIE: This was the...
 FISCHER: The vegetable job, yup. FISCHER: I was you what if I could get out of this job earlier. Or what if, because at the time , over the smer I was in Ann Arbor for music to play with my friend my friend who is a drmer. But he was going to be out of there in September anyways and so then there wasnʼt really anything tying me to Ann Arbor. I was why do I have to stay in Ann Arbor if I want to be in New York? And so then after a few days I realized it kind of hit me .. its kind of plausible that I could quit my job and go to this New York thing. So I put in a months notice of yeah Iʼm not, this is a great job but, its not plausible for me to stay here. and yeah and then a month later I was on my way to New York. me and my friend, Kat from Muskegon went out there and yeah.. that was just a really really awesome trip. We left from Friday night and I didnʼt sleep, I just drove all the way through the night and I was gunna switch up driving but I was, I have a manual car, I have a stick shift and my friend didnʼt know how to drive a stick shift so I just ended up driving all through the night and there was just so much adrenaline that I didnʼt really even think about it. And so we got there at noon on Saturday which is actually right when it started, we timed it perfectly .. and yeah and it was , when we got there, there was a few hundred people and , yeah that day it grew into a thousand or maybe two thousand people on the first day. And it was cool because it was people from all over the country. People from California, Missouri, from Idaho wherever, Washington or Oregon. Yeah and they were just all these really passionate people and so yeah the first day I was marching around the streets it was just so awesome to have all that really raw passion and then yeah we got to we got to this park which was , maybe a block away from Wall Street and we all just kind of gathered into this park and we started having this general assembly to figure out yeah to figure out who we were, what we were doing, how we were gunna go about things. and that was a hot mess it was just out of control Page 5 �SAYFIE: kind of spur of the moment. FISCHER: yeah there was just so many people that had so many things to say trying to make something orderly or comprehensible out of it which was so not gunna happen that night. .. but yeah it was really chaotic .. but we I guess we decided that we were gunna stay over night there at that park and thatʼs what we ended up doing. And yeah the first few days it was just a lot of a lot of that kind of a lot of chaos but also we started to get things done a food committee up, and we started a medics and started to get an idea on how this occupation would start to look and , yeah and we started to become more organized in our marches and stuff .. yeah and there was so many lessons to learn about how to interact with a group that size. and how to make something productive come out of a meeting with hundreds of people who are all really really passionate yeah and yeah and so .. So on Monday there was just so much to happen where do you go? On Monday we had another really big march for the opening bell and .. yeah and it was pretty crazy because this was the first time they actually let us into Wall Street and whatever because over the weekend they wouldnʼt let anyone in. but yeah since it was the opening bell on Monday they let , there were people working so they had to let people in and so we just marched right through and it was crazy! Yeah and that was the first day people had gotten arrested, or was this Sunday or Monday? I donʼt know it was one of those two days that people had actually got arrested and it was .. it was starting to get real woah this is actually something. And my friend got arrested that day, my friend Kat .. just because she was calling out for badge nbers from the police to hold them accountable so that so we could take down badge nbers to see where these cops were doing this so in court that could be brought up in our testament. It is completely legal to call out badge nbers and say what is your badge nber, who are you, blah blah blah. But the cops didnʼt that, NYPD was pointing to her saying “arrest her too.” so yeah they got her so that was kind of scary coming back from the march and being “ok, whereʼs Kat?” and then yeah and then figuring out she had gotten picked up and I had to go down to the the first precinct to get her and there was maybe five other people that had gotten arrested that day too. Just for little things most of them that day were for wearing masks. And theres a weird, weird ordinance thatʼs super outdated in NYC where you can have more than 2 people wearing masks so even a bandana over your nose if theres more than 2 people wearing that, they can get arrested for it. SAYFIE: thatʼs got to be from mafia days. FISCHER: I think it is from mafia days or its something that or something having to do with Native Americans I think it might have been a weird obscure law to keep native Americans from the city Iʼm not exactly sure what its from but its really messed up and outdated but they were using it. They were using anything that they could because we were peaceful protestors we werenʼt knocking out windows or punching anyone we were just chanting and exercising our first amendment rights and yeah they just didnʼt that so they were trying to pick us up for anything they could. .. yeah and throughout the week I just , it just kept growing. We lost a few people after the first day. Because yeah people who flew in, or people who drove long ways had to go back for work. .. so they , the first week after the nbers had died off it started kind of gradually growing again. And then the second Saturday, a week from the day that it started, was a really really crazy march where we marched 2 miles to union square in the city. Page 6 �And that day people were by that time people were saying that we were holding ground and we were getting a lot of support and we were getting bus loads of people in from Wisconsin or Michigan so that Saturday we had between a thousand or two thousand people on this march again. And that was just insane because people were so loud and riled up. We were just taking the streets yeah there was just a mass of people going down Broadway in New York. Its one of the biggest streets there is and and yeah completely stopping traffic and whatnot. And and yeah I guess we had shut down the city for the two hours we were marching and people couldnʼt really go anywhere. .. which was so awesome and was one of the most inspiring moments maybe of my life to look behind me or jp up or stand on my tip toes and see people as far as I could see, just in the streets yelling and chanting and the cops would try and set up blockades and we would just go around them or just go through them they couldnʼt stop us. it was so cool. yeah and we got to Union Square and .. there was this huge huge huge mass of people and yeah as we started to go to go back, theres just more and more, the police violence was building this entire time .. they were especially going for people with cameras cause they didnʼt want this stuff to get docented. Because if theres nobody docenting it then they can really do whatever the hell they want. yeah and so on the way back from Union Square it started to get really crazy they started to bring a lot of the orange nets to try and coral us and yeah and there was points where we were all running and it just turned into a pretty chaotic thing there was cops running with those orange nets trying to out run us and get in front of us, it was crazy. And it was actually pretty funny I want to make a note, the cop running with the orange nets was hilarious because when it got broken down and kind of disorganized, the cops kind of got really disorganized too and they didnʼt know what was going on. And so one cop would be trying to run this way with the net and the cop on the other side would be trying to run the other way with the net and it was the three stooges or something. It was so funny to see. Because you think that protestors are the only ones that get disorganized or whatever but cops definitely were too. Our march was turning a corner once and and so as our march was turning a corner they the cops were able to put one of the nets in front of, in front of the intersection. And so I was in front of the people to got blocked off and so I was standing up against this net just shouting over to our.. to the other half of our march, the march that made it through and and yeah the people that made it through were shouting back “let them through!” and yeah and we were just trying to get the cops to let us through or whatever. but they obviously werenʼt happy about that. And so this went on for a really long time and then .. and .. and eventually the cops brought in another orange barrier from the back and they enclosed 30 of us who were trying to get through. and then they were “ok, if you all arenʼt going to turn around and disperse, were just gunna arrest all of you. And were gunna start with you two.” And he pointed at me and this girl next to me because we were at the front of the orange barricade. and so yeah the cops took this girl next to me and turned her around and they were cuffing her and stuff and and they and.. as our process or our .. what we do when people get arrested is we tell our first and last name and our date of birth. So that we can be found when were in the jail. and so we can have a record on who all gets arrested and whatnot. So as they were turning this girl around in front of me I was “ok whatʼs your name?” and she was “Caitlin Banner October 20th 1988.” And they cuffed her up and hauled her away. And then they they grabbed me and spun me around and I was “Michael Fischer, 12/9/88.” Or whatever. And as I was saying that they pulled me back into the group of cops and they started going for all of the other protestors and and in this , it was pretty chaotic because as they were Page 7 �trying to arrest me, they were also, most of the cops were trying to get in and get all 30 of the people and so it was just another one of those really chaotic times and in that chaos, none of the cops really took the initiative to grab me personally so I just kind of kept my arms really close to my body and shimmied my way backwards and before I knew it I was just in a group of people, our protestors again. And so I just ran into the protestors and found some dude to switch shirts with really quick and took off my bandana and tried to make it I wasnʼt noticeable anymore. And yeah and so that was really probably one of the craziest moments for me basically getting away but I was really happy about that. SAYFIE: you werenʼt wearing handcuffs at this point? FISCHER: No, I didnʼt get cuffed, I didnʼt get cuffed yeah. But yeah then they arrested all the rest of the thirty of them. SAYFIE: Jeez. FISCHER: Yeah so anyways, that march, my friend got arrested for the second time and they held her overnight. And yeah so I, the rest of my day and most of the next day were spent trying to figure out where she was. Trying to figure out, yeah how to be support for her and yeah and they let her out the next day and we were there, and oh yeah that Saturday march I was telling you about, there was over one hundred arrests. Yeah and so after we got her out, we decided, it was Sunday when she got out and she decided it wasnʼt a good idea to risk being at the park again because around that time thereʼs a lot of buzz are the police going to raid this camp, are they not .. it was just anybodyʼs guess and so we stayed at our friends in Brooklyn that night and then we came home the next Monday we started on our way home. And yeah and its such, it was such an amazing, incredible experience because just being around such positive, inspiring people who really want, who are really passionate about making a change, even if its kind of I donʼt know, its kind of hard to know what to do. And I feel that question of what do I do? what is effective, is such a huge overwhelming question for anyone who who has any knowledge about whats going on, cause the problems are so big but its what do you do about it. And I feel the beauty of this Occupy Wall Street movement is its people who are deciding to take the first step even though they donʼt know exactly what to do, even though that is such a huge, enormous question, you can still , you donʼt have to let that question prevent you from letting you do anything. theyʼre getting together and at least trying to address it together in a productive way and in while doing that theyʼre making, theyʼre making all the right people really angry. Because I guess JP Morgan, chase bank, they just donated a huge s of money to the NYPD because theyʼre scared; they are shaking in their boots millions of dollars SAYFIE: really? And is that almost paying off the police? You know that could seem a bribe. FISCHER: Exactly, yeah I kind of reminds you of what the police are there for at least for me it tells me maybe the police arenʼt there to protect everyday citizens maybe the police are there to protect the status quo, even if its just a really unjust status quo. yeah and yeah so, it was just inspiring to see all those people weathering it out through , they wouldnʼt let us put up tents and they arrested some people for hanging up tarps and so whenever it was raining and stuff there was just people sleeping Page 8 �under tarps, using it as a big blanket. And it was so uncomfortable and a lot of sleepless nights because of stuff that. Yeah people were out there enduring it. yeah it was just really inspiring, and now, oh yeah its even more inspiring since , even since Iʼve left it hasnʼt shrunk, its grown and grown exponentially. And yeah just a week ago there was 700 people that got arrested trying to cross the Brooklyn bridge. the cops just kind of mislead them into the traffic and once they were in the traffic part, they blocked off 700 of them and arrested them. Yeah and yeah these things the cops think these are going to tear down our nbers but where as they think that thatʼs the strategy to try and break up this movement is to just try and arrest everybody. But it seems for every arrest, theres 5 more people that are “wow thatʼs insane, I need to get involved.” And so yeah thereʼs just more people now out there than there were even when I was out there. And its 3 weeks later. And now its because thereʼs all these different occupy grand rapids sprouting up or occupy lansing, these different things sprouting up all over the country. and all over the world too thereʼs things going on in Greece or Paris in sequence with stuff that is going on here. And its the Grand Rapids one just started up, this last Saturday. So that was really, really inspiring too. Because I went over to that, do you want to here something about that now? SAYFIE: Yeah, absolutely. FISCHER: Ok cool. Yeah I went over to that and , me and Kat did, and we just kind of got drug into being facilitators in the discussion because we were familiar with the process, we were familiar with how the consensus process that was used and on Wall Street which is basically a process whereby its not just a majority voting , its not just a proposal and whatever side has 51% goes with it, itʼs a consensus process so we try and get everybody to get on the same page and and so it makes it a lot harder at times. but I think that itʼs a much better process because itʼs a way to keep group cohesion. because if yeah because if 49% of the people are having to go along with something that they are really against, then youʼre gunna lose a lot of people at every decision, youʼre going to create a lot of division. But with consensus itʼs a lot different because I guess because if there are concerns, those concerns are always heard. and if there are serious concerns, those concerns are seriously addressed. So you never feel your voice is not being heard. Or you never have to feel that. And a lot of times it isnʼt a perfect process and we are all learning so a lot of times there are a ton of problems with it and but yeah they are learning experiences and it teaches you a lot about how to communicate and how to listen. And how to move through things in a non- hectically way. You have to be a leader and say this is what were going to do and itʼs figuring out whether they want to or not. Yeah so anyways, consensus is good but it can be really, really hard and so at Grand Rapids it was kind of the same thing as New York, where thereʼs just so many people, with so much passion, that trying to make something coherent out of that, was super hard. Because it was even worse because in New York I was kind of just watching and in Grand Rapids I was one of the facilitators. So if things started to get out of hand, I kind of felt it was my fault. I had to try bringing everybody back and bringing everyone back on track. And it was so hard because we would just open it up for agenda items. I made it clear, this isnʼt a rant, this isnʼt your opinion, this isnʼt what the best demand would be. This is something that you think needs to be talked about on the agenda today. and so everybody opened up and we got one, maybe two good agenda items how, where and when we should do this. And yes of course we have to talk about that. But then we started getting people that are , “Chase bank is the worst, we need to all boycott Chase bank. We need to all go over Page 9 �there and take out our funds right now. And you know what else we need to do, is our carbon footprints,” and blah blah blah. And just these huge long rants and Iʼm just what do you do with this. and so yeah just trying to make something productive out of that was just really, really hard. but there was a lot of really good passion, a lot of really good energy. And there were people, it took us so long to figure out , ʻcuz the meeting on Saturday was technically just a general assembly just to figure out when and how we would occupy. Or where we would occupy at. it took us so long to figure out those questions. But yeah and it , people stuck through it, people were really enduring it. which was awesome. It was kind of just a testament to how much people care about it. They are willing to sit through literally four, five hour long meetings in the hot sun, in Calder Plaza, with no shade. and yeah just dealing with it when it seems not productive at all, just working through it. And yeah we just ended up deciding that we were just gunna occupy now and people started to march over to the park, which is just off of Pearl St. by the river. And yeah when we finally came to consensus about the park, everyone was just screaming, so happy that we made a really productive decision. And then we had a huge long march; it wasnʼt that long really, it was just a huge, really intense march. from Calder plaza, over to the park and yeah people were just going crazy, I lost my voice totally. Which was, I got there and was “hey I canʼt talk.” Which was kind of cool now because someone else has to present it I didnʼt want to do it. SAYFIE: Yeah it must be tough organizing. FISCHER: yeah but luckily one of my good friends started facilitating after that and sheʼs a way better facilitator than I am. so I was really happy to see that. And yeah its still going to this day, thereʼs still people over there at the park. I went over last night and they have a ton of food, a ton of water and it worked totally. There was maybe thirty people when I went that were staying the night, which is really good for just Grand Rapids because there were some nights in New York where we only got down to maybe 30 to 50 people. So just to have already that many in Grand Rapids, its great so hopefully it will keep going and maybe keep getting more organized and more efficient. yeah. SAYFIE: So New York was the start of this occupy? FISCHER: New York was the start then things started to kind of branch off and build off of the moment from New York. SAYFIE: So was this the start of your involvement in this type of activism type stuff? FISCHER: No I have been doing it for a really long time before that Iʼve been, yeah kinda been interested in it ever since high school and then started doing actual kind of work regarding it mostly in college, I learned a lot about it. SAYFIE: Ok
 FISCHER: Can we pause and get something to drink? SAYFIE: Absolutely. Page 10 �[Pause] SAYFIE: Okay, tell me about, your involvement in college and the groups you were involved in... FISCHER: So it started... when I, I remember when I came to college my freshman year, I was really excited to get into Amnesty International. I was I didnʼt really even know exactly who they were, but I just kind of had a vague idea that they did stuff that I wanted to do. Yeah, so I got involved with them. And... yeah, and so I was pretty much involved with them freshman and sophomore year. Yeah, they do, they do cool stuff. It wasnʼt really my type of... it got me involved with a lot of really cool people on campus. But as far as a group goes, and what I wanted to do, it wasnʼt really exactly what I wanted to do. But they do, they still do awesome stuff. And, yeah, from those connections, I kind of I got to meet a lot of other cool people. I think one of the big, one of the big, kind of shaping factors about what I, about what I ended up doing in college was when I decided, when I found out that you could be a Liberal Studies major; which is basically create your own major. Yeah I found that out my sophomore year, and yeah and I was originally just gonna just be a religion [major], that was gonna be my emphasis, was just religion. And so yeah, I had to take LIB100 that winter semester of my fresh... of my sophomore year. I had an awesome professor named Melissa Baker- Boersma. And sheʼs actually the one that I said emailed me about the Wall Street thing and told me about that. Yeah and anyways, yeah so I got to be really good friends with Melissa. And that semester I also had a Martin Luther King Jr. class; which is definitely the most, one of the most life-changing classes that I took, too, because he was just such a conspiring figure to me. And yeah, that was definitely one of the places where I really realized the connection between my faith and social justice, and the connections between , yeah, the Christian faith and addressing systematic social problems. [pause] Yeah and just the way that he did it was such an awesome inspiring thing for me. Yeah and then the next, yeah the next year... the next year I was involved in sustainability and practice... practic with Melissa Baker-Boersma, and that was really, really awesome. That was probably one of the most shaping moments of my life, the shaping times, periods of my life because yeah that was yeah when I was really putting all the, connecting all the dots between yeah environmentalism and stuff, and also systematic injustices in capitalism, and kind of seeing how those things were really, whatʼs it called, really related. And yeah, and I got to see that on , on a theoretical level because we had been reading a lot of really awesome books, and I got to see it on a practical level because I was working with this organization called, “Our Kitchen Table,” who does a lot of works with community gardens in, and around, Grand Rapids. And yeah it was just really, it was really cool to see , in the, in theory, how power works - through books and what not – and, but also, to see how practically, what those... how power works on the ground in, in Grand Rapids; and how , and how those large, overarching injustices are perpetuated, you know, right outside our doors. And yeah ... yeah a lot of the work that “Our Kitchen Table” did is trying to get food gardens in lower income areas – places where... places where [coughing in background] there arenʼt a lot of places, a lot of grocery stores that you can necessarily just go to. [fumbles with words] so a lot of people end up getting their food from a corner store, or a liquor store. Yeah and just trying to bring healthy food systems to these , to these areas, yeah and itʼs, it was such a good experience to see how the obstacles that are, that are put in place, and the way in which, yeah the way in which businesses or [short pause] elected officials can put up barriers to these , to these achievements that we are trying to work for. [pause] [fingers Page 11 �tapping on desk] Yeah, and I think that semester I met most of the people who... I, who kind of I hung out with the rest of my college life. People over at the Bloom Collective, [cough] which is a, a radical info shop in Grand Rapids, and just kind of a, an alternative library... SAYFIE: Okay... FISCHER: ...where you get a lot of, kind of alternative media, alternative books and docentaries that are, kind of counter-cultural [JS agrees] and that are... that you wouldnʼt find in a mainstream library; because they really, theyʼre really a radical challenge to the status quo. Yeah and they, the people at the Bloom Collective do a lot of really awesome stuff. just one of the things they do is a really, really free market sometimes where you just bring stuff; people bring stuff that they... that is valuable - that they donʼt need - and can give it away for free. SAYFIE: Mhmm... FISCHER: And, so, if you want something, you can get it for free; but if you have something that somebody else would need, you can give it to them for free. So itʼs called the really, really free market. And they do a lot of really awesome classes about... ... “The History of Social Movements” is one of the classes I took there a class Iʼm taking right now is called “Radical Sustainability”, ... which is basically looking at sustainability... in a way thatʼs... more than more than just driving less, or more than just using recycled goods itʼs really looking at what are the systematic ways in which we must address , we must address , power structures... now in order to , in order to fight for a more sustainable world, and , and to demand one, rather than just kind of hoping that it will come if we do these personal lifestyle things. [phone bings in the background] , yeah, and [pause] ... yeah, so I still do a lot of work with them. SAYFIE: Very cool. FISCHER: Yeah, and then my senior year, another class that I took which was really important to me was ... [thinking] ah, it was called “Dialogue”, and there was a subtitle to it, but I forgot, I forgot what the subtitle was. Anyways, whatʼs important is it was called “Dialogue”, and the professor was Azfar Hussain, and Azfarʼs another one of the guys whoʼs just a really, really good friend of me to this day and we still chat and hang out and stuff. [voices in background] But, anyways, he was, that was just one more step in really realizing the systematic nature of a lot of these problems yeah... and... [pause] Yeah so thatʼs, those were kind of a lot of the really shaping classes that I took, or the shaping people that kind of came into my life, throughout Grand Valley. Yeah and just helped me to realize the connection between different things that I was doing on the ground because Iʼd- Iʼve, Iʼve been doing a lot of work with homeless, homeless populations over on Division [Avenue], and ... and what not, and... yeah, and working with community gardens and stuff. And I can think that these were all kind of things I was doing a lot throughout my college experience, but, as I was, as I went through, and I learned more about it, I could really learn that there was, there was a real connection between homelessness and ecological destruction. SAYFIE: Mhmm... Page 12 �FISCHER: A lot of the same forces behind the destruction of rain forests were the same forces behind the destruction of peopleʼs lives yeah, and the same forces that were causing a lot of foreclosures, and ... yeah, ... just the way that... Yeah and even [pause] itʼs also related to the prison the prison build-up how thereʼs so many people being incarcerated and the vast majority of these are people of color and itʼs just ... Yeah all these, learning that all these things are really related in in a way thatʼs, thatʼs used to perpetuate a global capitalist system, and perpetuate a system where a very small minority of people can own the vast majority of the wealth. Where yeah , the top... the richest 20-percent of the population can own 85-percent of the nationʼs wealth. And itʼs just crazy because that means 80percent of the people, the vast majority of this countryʼs population, is forced to split , basically oneand-a-half pieces of the, of the pie. And itʼs , that just doesnʼt work of course youʼre gonna get, [pause] of course youʼre going to get people living in poverty and yeah yeah, and so I guess Iʼve just really realized that a lot of the work I do is to kind of... yeah, work to take that... take down a lot of institutions take down a lot of things that are very destructive but also to create a lot of alternative systems… create a lot of alternative food systems, where... which is kind of what we are trying to do with “Our Kitchen Table.” Alternative food systems where you donʼt have to be rich in order to get healthy food; where you can just have healthy food growing behind your house creating alternative education systems, ... education systems where you are taught how to communicate, and how to relate with, not only with the people around you, but with the nature around you and thatʼs pretty diametrically opposed to our current education system, which is basically educating you how to get a job in industrial capitalism… SAYFIE: [laughs] Right... FISCHER: ...And which is basically I think the goal in which if you look around, I think a lot of people here, if you ask them why are they in college, itʼd be to get a job [Jordan agrees] yeah and so [pause] thereʼs.. yeah, everywhere you look thereʼs to do... everywhere you look thereʼs potential to create alternatives, and more, .. yeah, just beautiful opportunities to create a lot of great things yeah. Oh, and I think, one more thing that I... if Iʼm going to talk about college, one thing that I have to talk about is my senior year I took a class called “Community Working Classics,” where I basically I taught in a jail, I taught in a prison, for for a semester, and that was definitely one of the most life changing experiences, as well. just to kind of see the reality that [phone bings] the people are made to live in, in the prison. And yeah... and to, and to discuss with - what I taught was a sociology class – and, yeah, just to... to hear their, their point of views, and to realize how... to realize how much different their, their world is than than just what Iʼve seen growing up in a pretty sheltered, pretty privileged life of growing up in a suburban life coming to a college where you can really – , being around life prisoners, being around people whoʼve gone through really some of the hardest places in life – you can realize how sheltered how sheltered you can be in the suburbs, [Jordan agrees] how sheltered you can be if you have money and yeah, just to kind of broaden your horizons in that way is, itʼs the most, one of the most valuable experiences of my life [pause] yeah, so that was really important. SAYFIE: When you were teaching at the prison, did you... Page 13 �FISCHER: Yeah... SAYFIE: I mean, did you get the sense that these people wanted to learn, or were they... FISCHER: Oh my gosh, yeah, of course yeah, I think youʼre... I think just the way that this culture treats prison is kind of out of sight, out of mind, and, [pause] and youʼre not youʼre never explicitly taught in school that prisoners are evil people, and prisoners are just unmotivated and donʼt want to learn, but these are kind of the ideas that are slowly engrained in you ... and, so, yeah a ton of people have this, have this misconception of prisoners as these mean, ugly people, who, ... who, yeah are just kind of nonmotivated or whatever, but that couldnʼt be farther from the truth. ... yeah, and ... theyʼre, yeah, just as motivated, if not more, than anyone at college. ... very, and just so knowledgeable, and so many very valuable experiences and insights that you donʼt get, and you donʼt realize if you grow up in a suburb they just have so many valuable insights to these things that Iʼve never that Iʼve never really even considered because I was never exposed to it in the way that they were especially dealing with oppression they have so many, I- I was exposed... during that time when I was having so many conversations with inmates, I was exposed to so many realities and insights regarding oppression that that were so spot on, but I never would have realized them if I hadnʼt talked to somebody who actually went through it firsthand and experienced it so, ... yeah, so presently. SAYFIE: Yeah, thatʼs incredible. FISCHER: Yeah... SAYFIE: Back to...what was the name of the alternative library? FISCHER: Bloom Collective. SAYFIE: Bloom Collective? FISCHER: Yeah... SAYFIE: And thatʼs in Grand Rapids? FISCHER: Yeah, and thatʼs Fourth and Davis... SAYFIE: Okay...
 FISCHER: ...I think.
 SAYFIE: Okay.
 FISCHER: I think itʼs... yeah.
 SAYFIE: What, what sort of... books or movies... Page 14 �FISCHER: They have a lot of... SAYFIE: ...Inspired you, that... FISCHER: Oh, inspired me? Sorry. SAYFIE: Yeah, yeah... FISCHER: , okay, yeah this is a good question. ... okay. One book – Iʼll, Iʼll just kind of name a few of the books – well, one of them was obviously Martin Luther King Jr.ʼs autobiography... was one of the first that was really super inspirational. ... thereʼs a book called, a book by David Edwards called “Burning All Illusions” which is kind of... it kind of just came to me at the right time when I was, ... kind of starting to, ... Itʼs kind of a hard book to explain, but this book was kind of about... yeah, burning up, burning the illusion that, that things arise out of individuals... Itʼs kind of burning an individualistʼs paradigm or losing an individualist paradigm. Because a lot of times you can think, you can get into the paradigm of oh if I, if I buy this “fair trade” coffee then thatʼs, you know, thatʼs my, thatʼs my duty to if I want to fight for social justice, then Iʼd buy “fair trade” coffee or if I want to, yeah, if I want to fight for for the environment, then Iʼd buy a, you know eco-friendly Windex, or whatever [Jordan snickers] and yeah, and itʼs so easy to be, to get trapped into this individualistʼs paradigm but yeah, I think that that book is really about realizing that these things arenʼt, these things come as a result of, of certain systems that are in place yeah, Iʼm going to talk about international capitalism, these things result in that invariably, and itʼs not, and itʼs not something that, that can be fought by just everybody individually buying their own deal it has to be, yeah, kind of addressed at a, at a more root level thereʼs an awesome quote by Henry David Thoreau, which is “There are thousands of people chopping at the branches of injustice, but only one chopping at the root.” And I think thatʼs something that, yeah, theyʼre just having to see more and more, and itʼs adjusting things at the roots yeah, because, people doing the Montgomery bus, or people during the Civil Rights era, they didnʼt they didnʼt just try and change peopleʼs individual consciousness’s and try and overturn Jim Crow that way. They, they, they knew that the institution of racism and the way that it was instituted in these laws had to be changed, and then that would result in peopleʼs consciousness’s changing. And I think that the same is really applicable today, where thereʼs a lot of people thinking that “oh, once everybodyʼs consciousness’s changes, then these laws, and these systems, will change.” But I see it, I see it the other way, where once these system change, once these systems change, once these laws and whatever changes then thatʼs, then thatʼs what changes peopleʼs consciousness’s. And Iʼm, of course, itʼs important to raise consciousness, and raise awareness, but thatʼs not the only thing. SAYFIE: Right. FISCHER: Yeah yeah because... yeah, so that was, thatʼs one, that was one book another author that was really, really influential to me was Derek Jensen he is... Derek Jensen is super, super radical, yeah, , environmental guy. And at first I started reading him because Melissa gave us this one article by him, and I was ʻThis dude is crazy.ʼ [Jordan laughs] ʻ off of his record crazy.ʼ and I was , ʻyeah, I should read Page 15 �him just because because I reading seeing what really crazy, different points of view are.ʼ , [Jordan sniffles] and then the more I read him, I was ʻwell, maybe, heʼs actually kind of rightʼ [both laugh] , because I think that yeah. Heʼs... yeah his, just really talking about addressing the the realities of the environmental situation that we face. Which theyʼre just so, so hard, and, yeah 200 species going extinct every day, and , just really terrifying, depletion of water aquifers and just the fact that our basically, most of Western civilization is built on oil, and , not only for transportation, but just for our food system to work and for our energy system to work, and this is a resource thatʼs going to run out, [Jordan laughs and softly says “I know”] really, really dang soon. And just if, if weʼre get- putting more faith in it, and it just dries up, and thatʼs really, really disastrous and yeah I think that he made me really acknowledge the problem for what it is, and yeah, and just kind of reconsider how you go about addressing it accordingly yeah, and... thereʼs a lot of really good movies that I... that, thereʼs a movie called “The Corporation”. Thereʼs a movie thatʼs called “Food, Inc.”, which is this brilliant movie. SAYFIE: Yeah... FISCHER: Itʼs all about our food system yeah Iʼm just trying to think of other good movies that I d.. thereʼs one, thereʼs one called “Blue Gold,” which is about water yeah, just about the depletion of water aquifers and whatnot, and, yeah, just how we think about how we handle our fresh water resources yeah... they have just a, just a ton of really good stuff about that. SAYFIE: Yeah, itʼs interesting.
 FISCHER: Mhmm...
 SAYFIE: Did you you ever see “The Motorcycle Diaries”? FISCHER: No, what is that? Oh, is that Che Guevara?
 SAYFIE: Yeah, yup...
 FISCHER: Nice.
 SAYFIE: Yeah itʼs, yeah itʼs very good.
 FISCHER: Yeah, thatʼs one that I did want to see, I should watch it. SAYFIE: ... [pause] so as far as “Occupy Grand Rapids” goes... FISCHER: Yeah... SAYFIE: ...no, no arrests in Grand Rapids? FISCHER: No arrests yet. That I, not that I know of. Unless when happened maybe yesterday night, I... but yeah, no arrests. this is... Itʼs crazy. Thereʼs a small police presence thereʼs no police presence in Page 16 �Grand Rapids. SAYFIE: [laughing] Yeah... FISCHER: Because in Wall Street that was the first thing I saw before I even saw protestors, I just saw lines of cops. SAYFIE: Right, yeah, theyʼre everywhere. FISCHER: It’s in Wall Street itʼs nuts you would swear that one-in-three New Yorkers was a cop for an occupation. [Jordan laughs] , thatʼs what they did for a living. Because thereʼs so many of them; I donʼt know how they get so many [Jordan continues to laugh]. But, ... but yeah, in Grand Rapids I saw three cops on the first day... SAYFIE: Mhmm. FISCHER: The whole day so it was a really different feel. [fingers tapping on desk] SAYFIE: So what, what would you say is the overall, transpiring goal of the ʻOccupyʼ movement? FISCHER: Thatʼs... I have a... they have, theyʼve, they have come out with a statement in in New York about what their , who they are. And I wish I had it on me right now. ...[Robbieʼs phone rings] Oops. But yeah they Iʼll just kind of try to say it from what I know itʼs kind of, thatʼs kind of a hard question that weʼve been asked a lot because itʼs not something anyone, individually, can say until the whole group has consents and says, ʻyeah, this is what our goal isʼ. SAYFIE: Right, right. FISCHER: But, yeah, they did release a statement thatʼs saying, yeah that theyʼre essentially anticorporate. Theyʼre very out, people who are very outraged at just the, just the glaring injustices that are obvious and right in the face of all these people who are just suffering yeah, just the, the very vast inequality between the rich and the poor, and between the amount that the rich have and the amount that the poor donʼt have [Jordan laughs] yeah... and so, yeah, the, I think that the kind of , that part of it, the ʻwho we areʼ part has kind of been, or is the process of, being decided the goals, or the demands, I guess you could say, are still definitely in the works because yeah, there are, there is such a vastly diverse group of people who are there there are there are union people. There are teachers. There are socialists. There are anarchists there are people with all these different goals or ideas of what should happen, and and yeah I think that this is a really good idea for them, or a really good chance for them to yeah, to try and... I donʼt know, work together despite those they might have a difference about where the exact end point is, but they can take at least the first few steps together and use collective moment to get something going. SAYFIE: Right.
 Page 17 �FISCHER: Yeah, so thatʼs that. SAYFIE: How would... I know you said itʼs hard to describe your po... your political... FISCHER: Yeah...
 SAYFIE: ...ideals, but what would, I mean, what would you...
 FISCHER: Personal goals? SAYFIE: Yeah. FISCHER: I could, yeah, I could say personal goals okay, I think that... One: I think that industrial civilization that is the industrial way of life, a way of life based on oil, based on extracting resources, ... and not putting them back, is inherently unsustainable. I believe that that yeah industrial, the industrial way of life as we, as we have it right now ..with fast super highways and .. yeah.. basically where people can live in buildings and really never even have to be in nature, and where.. yeah where our food system is .. based on 1500 mile supply lines. That, I believe, is unsustainable and it will not last .. and I believe that its important that we acknowledge that it wonʼt not last, and acknowledge that .. that thatʼs not a bad thing entirely .. thereʼs a lot of pain that will come, .. when .. yeah because a lot of people are very dependent on the system the way it is .. but..... but at the same time .. yeah I guess just.. when I picture a.. a future, I picture a future in which more people are able to connect with the people around them, and the places around them, and .. and rather than .. rather than being isolated in a room watching a TV, they can be, .. yeah in a group of people because , the reality is ..community is a necessary part of survival , .. and I think that .. our.. for the last however many years.. weʼve had the.. we’ve been able to be deceived into.. into thinking that .. into thinking that you can live completely isolated, and I think that .. Things oil... have been able to create this kind of false idea of what the world is ... yeah, and I think that we just really need to... to imagine worlds... that are vastly different than that, imagine worlds where ... that are more in line with the natural processes of the seasons .. More in line with the natural processes that are around us... yeah, because in reality ... its not natural to be so isolated from... from the outside world. It’s not natural to be so... So isolated that you can basically do the same thing every day of the year, regardless of what season it is... Yeah, I was thinkinʼ about that when I was ... I don’t know... there are people who have the same job or who... who get to their job the same way every day of the year, .. And if it’s... the only difference that they notice might be , “oh I have to shovel out my driveway... for a couple days of the Year." but .. yeah a hundred years ago , you notice the season change. You notice whatʼs going on around you. You notice when its .. you notice when its a full moon. You notice when its yeah, you notice when the grasshoppers stop .. singing. You notice when the different bird calls happen. And thats just a hundred years ago.. .. if you go thousands of years ago .. thatʼs all that you notice, thats where you get your knowledge, and thats where you get .. thats where you .. thats where you live. .. and I think industry and.. oil and all of these things have allowed people to kind of .. live in a place thats not really Earth.. you can live in an internet world or a TV world .. that's completely divorced from the actual real world reality outside of your.. outside of your door. .. and its just .. an example is.. on a.. there's.. there was an .. there was a.. imagine that there was an .. an insect Page 18 �or something that came through and wiped out the ash trees .. the ash boar, a couple years ago, it d wiped out ash trees all behind my house.. and , I donʼt know, I didnʼt really notice.. but the first time that Facebook went through a format change .. people are frickinʼ up in arms about that, theyʼre “change it back right now!” And so thats just another.. thats a testament to what world people live in. they.. people are just beginning to live in this world where what matters is the format of Facebook, what matters isnʼt the 200 species that are going extinct in the actual real world.. .. and I think that yeah.. that yeah.. so i guess to s it up I think that.. that yeah we are.. we are going to be forced to live according to the laws of the real natural world, and I think the sooner we can realize that, and the sooner we can work towards that, the better. .. yeah and so thats what Iʼm trying to do with my life is to work towards.. work towards that type of living, work towards ways of living that arenʼt dependent on industrial civilization, because industrial civilization canʼt and wonʼt be .. sustainable, and it wonʼt be permanent. .. and I think that yeah..the sooner we recognize that the easier the transition will be. SAYFIE: Do you think, because it almost seems if you were to say, yaʼ know.. just let everybody conse as much, say oil, as they can until it ran out then theyʼd have this epic collapse and revert back to this.. if people didnʼt develop alternative .. Sources of transportation, and that kind of thing, then they would kind of be forced back into [a natural way of living].. FISCHER: Yeah.. yeah .. yeah so I think that.. yeah that’s definitely a good point .. which is why I donʼt put a lot of energy into looking for alternative ways to power cars.. or.. because I donʼt want there to be cars. .. .. yeah.. and I think that a lot of these things that are done in the name of sustainability, and theyʼre done with literally all the best intentions, they can really .. a lot of times be served to just distract people, and to make them think that this.. this way of life can be redeemed, and that the industrial life can be salvaged when, I believe, the reality is that it canʼt. And so I try and do in the work that I do I try and .. do things that .. that arenʼt reliant on industrial civilization, which is putting a lot of work into community gardens, .. things getting people to re-learn .... skills that have been long lost, or skills that are being overlooked by things industrial.. industrial agriculture. yeah.. because yeah its just.. I think its great when people can learn how to be.. self sufficient in that way, where they can grow food for their own family, and the families around them. .. and kind of yeah.. learn how to preserve their own food, and learn how to.. yeah how to purify water from rivers, how to.. how to do these things which, yaʼ know, hundreds of years ago, or even a hundred years ago everybody knew how to do them. .. yeah.. I just think its so valuable to re-learn those types of skills. SAYFIE: Alright, is there anything else that you want to mention? FISCHER: I think Iʼm pretty good.
 SAYFIE: Well, yeah me too. Thank you for doing this, its been very eye opening. FISCHER: Definitely. END OF INTERVIEW Page 19 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0738af0ff908e16e94063584bcc99421.mp3 b97c6c85ad181da6c97189a98b78c160 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Personal narratives Oral histories African Americans--Personal narratives Gays--Personal narratives Lesbians--Personal narratives Bisexual people--Personal narratives Transgender people--Personal narratives Veterans--Personal narratives Women--Personal narratives People with disabilities--Personal narratives Muslims--United States--Personal narratives Hispanic Americans--Personal narratives Homophobia Discrimination Islamophobia Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Upper Penninsula (Mich.) Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history recordings documenting the history of civil rights and social justice advocacy in Western Michigan. The collection was created by faculty and students as a project of the LIB 201 (formerly US 201): "Diversity in the U.S." course from 2011-2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project (GV248-01) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1930-2011 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01_Fischer_Robby Title A name given to the resource Robby Fischer audio interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fischer, Robby Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sayfie, Jordan Description An account of the resource Robby Fischer is a Grand Valley State University Alumni. He talks about his experiences with activism in West Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Relation A related resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-10-10 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d8faa6d72543128e213112e6128b066b.jpg eb8408118cbdf65d10ef00d02548d8f6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Red-Misc-36 Title A name given to the resource Robby Segal Has Come a Long Way Description An account of the resource A scan of a newspaper article titled "Yes, Robby Segal Has Come a Long Way Since 1967 in Saugatuck," written by David Nicolette. It explores the history of Robby Benson, who went from playing chorus roles at the Red Barn to starring in blockbuster films. There are also articles about new Michigan State University performance buildings and an upcoming Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Community theater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c0d41d64f2785c705337d6f676fa706.mp4 41dfeae6015eceb38e0ab23a684df2f5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ac888de5e46ede7df793a890fb0879c9.pdf ab6157be01793442dba5b8f43bfdbc7a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interview Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert “Burma Bob” P. Locke Date of interview: February 7, 1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 1] FRANK BORING: What were you doing prior to AVG? BOB LOCKE: Well just before AVG I had the prop shop at Anacostia in Washington, D.C. and was working in the prop shop and this Commander came around one Friday afternoon and wanted to know "do you know all about props" and I said of course I've got the prop shop. He said "do you know how to work on the governors?" and I said yes. He said "would you tear down a governor for me?" I said "It's Friday and I'm cleaned up and I've got liberty for the weekend and I" and he said "I've talked to quite a few other personnel here and how would you like to go to China?" and I said "China, what for?" and he said "We're forming a group to go to China. We need propeller technicians." I said "Well I don't know, I just started shore duty here and I've got a good thing going." and he said "Well it pays $450.00 a month." and I said "Well I'll think about it, I mean it's not the money, but making $99.00 a month as a First Class here, I think I'd be glad to go." I asked him who else he'd talked to and he said one of the ordnance men, Hook Wagner and he said one of the mechanics, Gallagher and he said Jackie White who works in the parachute loft and Twisty Bent. And I said wonderful. Said when do we go? He said "Well go to the Skipper's office on Monday morning and go in and tell him you're supposed to get out of the Navy." Needless to say (Monday morning at 8 o'clock we went to the Skipper's office and he wanted to know what we wanted to see him �for and we said we're supposed to get out of the Navy, we're going to China. He threw us out of the office.) Well we got on the phone and gathered together and we called New York, CAM CO and we got a hold of the Commander and he said "Well I'll be down there this afternoon. I'll get a Beechcraft and fly from Floyd Bennet and I'll get down there as soon as I can." So we figured we got a raw deal here. So he came down, we saw the Beechcraft land and pretty soon we got called in the office. The Skipper came out of the office and he says "Okay Herb, anything you want Herb. You guys get your gear together. Get over at the State Department and get your passports. Come back, by that time the paymaster will be ready and you'll be paid off and you're on your way_, to China." So that was how we got it. FRANK BORING: What was it that interested you? What did you know about China, first of all before any of this? BOB LOCKE: Well I'd done a tour out there, I'd gone out there previously on a short cruise, I went out there. I shipped in the Navy in '34 and did two years in Panama and then I got a stint to go to China, but I was on a kiddy cruise, which is before 21 years of age - one day before you're 21 you can get out and make up your mind. As you ship in at 17, you're what they call a kiddy cruise. So I went out there and I couldn't stay out there because I was on a kiddy cruise. So I came back. But that was my first seeing of China. Of course that was in Singapore and we didn't get to see much of China properly. The idea was that the way that they presented it to us, is that eventually we're going to get into this conflict and that we need personnel out there. He explained to us that it was a special order discharge from the government, from the Navy. When it was all over and if we went into the war or if you completed your contract by 1942, which was a year's contract, we could come back and with no loss of rank or rating or no loss of time - just that time was lost - but that was the thing. So we agreed to go and of course it was adventure. We didn't have any ideas of what was going on. We'd heard a lot about that, but it was a good chance to do it. �FRANK BORING: Now you arrived in China by boat, what was the ship trip like? BOB LOCKE: Well we arrived in San Diego - I came to San Diego, drove to San Diego and then our ship was going to leave from Long Beach on May 21st and it was the 2 S.S. Zaandam, and it's a Dutch ship. They were taking the Lockheed Hudson bombers that they'd got lend-lease from here and they were going to Java. They were going out there that way and that was how we got our transportation, it was arranged. So there were 46 crew member, enlisted personnel and crew members. It was a mixed· bag of some Army clerks and they were mostly Navy mechanics and there were 16 pilots aboard. Bill Bartling was in charge, he was the Senior Pilot and most of it was Navy. As a matter of fact Tommy Hayward, Jernstedt, quite a few were on board, Duke Headman, was aboard the ship. And that was the S.S. Zaandam. Well, of course, when we got our passports, they designated us different professions. I was a draftsman, Gallagher was a hairdresser, Jackie White was a cook, Hook Wagner - Hook went out as a – what do they call the ones that work on women's - masseuse - that was what he was. Well we got aboard the ship and when we got aboard they immediately said "you're missionaries" so we decided we'd be missionaries. FRANK BORING: We'll start from the beginning of who was what, because when you say masseuse we don't want to have my voice. That's good, that's real good. So just start from - you were - the need for secrecy. BOB LOCKE: Well I went out and our passports said that I was a draftsman, and of course I hadn't held a drafting tool in my hands since high school. Jackie White was a hairdresser - no Jackie White was a cook, Gallagher was a hairdresser, Hook Wagner was a masseuse, this is how we went out. Of course when we got to the West Coast, we all went down to get aboard the ship and there we were told by Bartling, you're all missionaries. So we started out and by the time we hit Honolulu and we had of course opened the bar every day and all of the missionaries stayed out and we were in there telling �jokes in the bar and they were listening to the jokes, but by the time we hit Honolulu, we were turned into traveling salesmen. So when we hit the Philippines we were back to missionaries and when we got to Singapore, we had to wait there because we went overland, we were the first group that went and we went overland and caught another ship on the far side of - now it's Viet Nam - but it was on the other side of the China Seas. When we were in Singapore there was nothing to do, except the bar was open all the time and you get tired of that. So we wandered around and I ran into a mechanic that was flying the Brewster Buffaloes, he was out there as an Aide with the Navy and they were turning the Brewster Buffaloes over to the British. At that time, having nothing to do, we tried to get acquainted with young ladies and of course we got the cold shoulder. So one of the guys came up with the smart idea and we let it be known that we were talent scouts and we were from Hollywood and we were looking for talent, we were going to have a dance contest on the following Saturday at the New World. Needless to say, we had many people - "oh are you with this group of talent scouts" - and "I'd like you to meet my daughter" and we had it made then. Of course we had the thing and Big Jim Regis was our photographer and took -film after film after film, panning the whole thing and he didn't take one stitch of film because he didn't have any film in his camera. When we got on the train and we went with a bunch of British troops and across and Hanoi was where we came out the other side and from Hanoi we caught a tramp steamer and over to Rangoon, then up the Burma Road to Toungoo, which the base had just been set up and we arrived in Toungoo and of course nobody knew what they were going to do. We sat around and they hadn't started to get the P-40's yet, they still hadn't come in from the docks. FRANK BORING: What were your first impressions of arriving in Toungoo? BOB LOCKE: We heard that it was a valley of white man's death and there were so many different brands of snakes out there. One of the statements was that there were 99 poisonous snakes out there and out of the �99 poisonous snakes, there's 100 total, but the 99 are poisonous and the other one eats you whole, so we didn't know what - and of course we'd heard about the Cobras. Well because of possible bombing we had the barracks set aside from the chow hall and they were long thatched type roofs - open with shutters so that we would get fresh air or we could cut out the monsoons if we got into the monsoons; which it rained continually, almost every day. The temperature was in the 100's continually, the humidity was in the 110's, I don't know how it could, but it was - it was continual - you moved, you sweat. This thatched roof, all kinds of varmints used to get up in the thatched roof and at night you'd hear slithering and a cobra would be up there and he'd drop down on the floor. Well of course we had bunks with cots and mosquito netting and you'd tuck them in underneath it. One of the guys – of course we had jing bows periodically - one of the guys left his boots out with his pants outside and we had a jing bow about 2 o'clock in the morning. Jing bow is alert for possible bombing. He jumped up, threw on his boots, pulled his pants up and in the crotch of his pants was this scorpion and it hit him about 3 times real fast and Doc Rich had to treat him to deaden the pain. Old Sutherland used to run into all sorts of tricks - that was Sut Sutherland, that's where he got the name of Sut. So we'd go to the movies at night. One night I went over, we had the movies over at the chow hall, and I started over and there was a path you usually walked around the roads or you cut across, and I started cutting across with a flashlight and ran into this cobra. He puts up his hood and I froze, turned around and retreated back. But you couldn't tell where they were gonna end up. The first day we arrived, one of the guys stripped off and of course they had the bathroom in between two sections and bunks on either side and this guy took off and went in there just with a towel around him and started in the urinal, and they had built this beautiful cement urinal. Well as he approached, 5 stretched out full length in this urinal was this cobra, so he screamed and everybody grabbed their guns, all types and sorts, and went in there and started blasting at this cobra. Well we blew the urinal completely �apart. But the cobra slithered out a hole and disappeared. Needless to say, our aim wasn't very good. FRANK BORING: What were your first duties when you first arrived there? BOB LOCKE: First duties was to get gear squared away and set up the shops and prepare for the planes which were going to come in at any time. Some pilots started arriving and then our first aircraft came in. We set them up, we had to put the radios in them because they were completely bare and of course they'd just been put together to fly up, just the initial flight up there. We had no guns on them or anything like that, so spent all of the days preparing the aircraft for actual combat. Mounting the guns, the radios that we used out there at the time, because we didn't have too good a stuff, we had automobile Motorola's and stuff like that that we were using receivers and stuff that were just adequate stuff. Most of the things we put together and too, we were trying to train Chinese crew and we were assigned so many personnel with us. They started the operations and started training - training flights, we had a few training accidents. One of the things they found out with this P-40 was that it had a fuselage tank and then wing tanks. Well what you did was you took off on your fuselage tank, this was according to the pilots - and you'd take off on your fuselage tank, then switched to your wing tanks, then you would switch back onto your fuselage tank on landing. Some of the guys would take off and take their fuselage tanks and drain them, not switching. Well he'd start into a dive and the P-40's would tumble, just tail over - just flip. Well some of them said that was why we lost one or two like that and I think it was Charlie Bond was the one that found out about it. He was flying one day and he turned over and he got out of it and he said that was one of the reasons why, that they concentrated on balance, so of course with the extra weight in that nose, that old Allison engine stuck way out. This was what we did, we spent most of our time there. Of course, we'd go to town, the little town of Toungoo and we'd go down to the railroad station and all. The local Burmese they treated you as cumshaw - I mean they would �baksheesh - which means present and they'd hit you with baksheesh and all this. After the training we had our first raid in Rangoon and planes came in and we shot some of them down, the Japanese. At that time you'd walk into the train station and everybody would stand around, women and everything, AVG okay - bullshit - either they'd say "Okay'' or you know. FRANK BORING: How did you put up with the heat and the community and the snakes and the bugs - how did you get used to it? BOB LOCKE: Normally you don't - the snakes and the heat and all that - the one reason that we went out there was to - you'd shower as many times as you could a day, but immediately you'd be soaking wet and our uniforms, they used to starch them, well then we found out immediately don't starch them - I think that we didn't drink it, but we used more Bay Rum out there than anything in the world, and of course being an old hand from Panama, where it was hot too, we'd learned the old bottles, the quart bottles of Bay Rum, and you'd take a shower and then Bay Rum all over and of course that was one of the reasons you wouldn't get heat rash and all the rest of it. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88_Locke_BurmaBob_1991-02-07_v01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Locke, Robert P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Burma Bob" Locke interview (video and transcript, 1 of 8), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke describes what was doing prior to joinging the AVG, how he was recruited as a propeller technician, and his journey and eventual arrival in Toungoo. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9c84b780cff405fea87e86433c780e8c.mp4 ca1f0213aec14387900633ad680030ed https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/172517f1a3eaaa2334fbd415041926d9.pdf f7962fc5731b8b2a5e151fd75597eaf3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interview Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert “Burma Bob” P. Locke Date of interview: February 7, 1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 2] FRANK BORING: See this is a safety I got from my dad. BOB LOCKE: Well when I came back from China that was a different proposition. They said we'll give you J.G. in the reserves and I said I wasn't reserve, I'm regular Navy and they said well we can give you Chief again and I said fine, and the guy says, “What else do you want?” - this was at the Bureau - and I said, “I've always wanted to go to flight school”, and he said “You’re on your way”. So the last flight physical I had was in 1939 was at Anacostia and I went through flight school in '42 and I was graduated and two weeks before I graduated the doctor says in.'42 he says "Say Locke, I've been checking, when did you take your last physical?" And I said "My physical or flight physical?" and he says "flight physical" and I said "1939". So he gave me one real fast, he backdated it the day I reported to Pensacola. FRANK BORING: How did you put with the heat and the insects and all of that? BOB LOCKE: Well one of the things was that I'd been stationed in Panama and it's hot down there and Bay Rum - we used to get the quart bottles of Bay Rum and - not for drinking purposes but strictly after a shower you'd put it all over you it would keep you fairly well cleared and you wouldn't get heat rash and all of this. Normally you'd try to find someplace where it was cool. �FRANK BORING: Which wasn't too many places I imagine. BOB LOCKE: Showers was the main thing. FRANK BORING: Once the airplanes started to come in, and as you say they were going through training and some of them were crashing and whatnot, what were the conditions of the planes? How did you rate the planes? How did you repair the planes? What was the actual work involved in getting those planes up in the air? BOB LOCKE: Well the work of course - armoring, you had to get the ordnance on them, we had to install radios in them, then they had the training things. One of the things that they had problems with was all these Navy pilots were used to making 3 point landings, in other words coming in and touching the wheels and the tail at the same time, well when you're flying a plane like a P-40, you come in and you make a transport landing, you come in and land on two wheels and then cut the engine and then drop it down, because you don't - as a matter of fact a few of the pilots almost washed out completely because they'd come in and - old P-boat pilots - here they're used to coming in at 20 feet in the air and rearing back on it and let it settle, they'd come in in the P-40's and you'd see them periodically and you'd say well there's another Navy guy and he'd come in at 20 feet in the air and chop it and it would sit there and shudder and go kaboom. Well tires would go, gear would go and ground loops, built in ground loops, this thing had. FRANK BORING: What was the interaction with those pilots? You're the one that's got to fix these things if they break them and here they are breaking them. What was the interaction between - they would come and say what happened here or what happened there? BOB LOCKE: Normally, it was - you know when Chennault set this up, there were pilots and there were ground crew and as he said, there’s no rank in this organization. Pilots are pilots, they've got their job to do, the mechanics have got their job to do and we're all working in �a small compact group. He said we won't have any differences, there'll be no saluting or anything like this and if you've got anything to say, you settle it between yourselves. If a pilot makes a boo-boo, you call him down for it because you're the mechanic and you've got to do it. Well they respected that and it's a funny thing, we got along well - real well. FRANK BORING: Can you give me an example of - not a confrontation - but something that a pilot did or something that a pilot thought you did where you resolved it? BOB LOCKE: Well, not a pilot, but there was - we had a Beechcraft out there and we had this ex-first class who was plane Captain on the Beechcraft. Well they came in and they ground looped the Beechcraft and bent a prop on it. Well, being a prop technician, Ricks had sent me out there. He was the head of the prop shop and he sent me out. Well I went out and I said "Well McClure I think we can straighten these blades and everything." and he got in a confrontation with me and we carried it all the way through with the Flying Tigers because every time I saw him, I'm a prop technician and I know my job and he told me get away from his aircraft so this was about the only thing that we ever had. Normally we didn't have time for any trouble and I give credit to the people that chose this group to go out there. One of the things was you had to be first class or equivalent to go out there and the mechanics were well qualified. I give them very much credit for the recruiting and the idea. We knew our jobs and we did our jobs to the best of our ability. FRANK BORING: When did you first meet Chennault? BOB LOCKE: The first time I saw Chennault was - he came in and Williams and Greenlaw and the rest of them came in with him and introduced him. That was about the 4th or 5th night that we were there and we just started to get squared away working on equipment because all of that had to be shipped from Rangoon too and he said "welcome aboard" and he was glad to have us aboard and everything like that �and he said he knows that we're gonna work fine together and he was very congenial. Of course we referred to him as the old man. That was about the first time I saw him was just about a week after we got there. FRANK BORING: What was your first impression? BOB LOCKE: Well I thought he knew what he was doing and of course being a mechanic I had things to do and I didn't spend much time in the offices with him. As long as you could stay clear of the old man, you were doing your job - it was okay. If you weren't doing your job the old man would call you out and he did. He didn't tolerate pussy footing around, he didn't tolerate shirking. In other words he knew his men and he knew his personnel. FRANK BORING: From Chennault came either instructions or - who usually carried those out - was that Greenlaw? BOB LOCKE: Well Greenlaw was the exec and he'd pass things down. Williams of course took care of the radio communications net. There were different pilots in charge and we had different former Chiefs in the Navy who were in charge of the working personnel, well they'd pass word down that way. But I used to see the General and I spoke to him quite often, the Colonel. And after we'd stayed in Toungoo for quite a period of time, then we started with the trouble and they had to get all that personnel out. They knew that they had bombed Rangoon, they were gonna hit Toungoo and we'd had quite a few fly-overs, so they figured that we'd move up the road and by that time our base at Kunming was ready and we set up a group of trucks, the first trip of trucks taking cargo and taking equipment up and Wayne Ricks of the parachute loft was in charge of this group and I was on the first group of trucks that went up the Burma Road and from that, that group, we picked up the name of the Burma Roadsters, we formed a club. Years later we were all gonna get together, so we published stuff and all and that was quite a trip up the road. �FRANK BORING: Before we get into more details about the road, what do you recall and when did you first hear that Pearl Harbor had been hit? BOB LOCKE: As a matter of fact, we were in Kunming. FRANK BORING: Already? BOB LOCKE: That's right. We'd had raids down there and we were in Kunming when we heard Pearl Harbor was hit. This truck group who went up the road… FRANK BORING: Excuse me then I got my dates wrong. Let's talk about the trip then on the Burma Road. BOB LOCKE: Well we started out and we went up and we had a different conglomeration of trucks. We had Ford trucks, we had Dodge trucks and we had Studebakers. Somebody had sold them a bill of goods and we got a whole batch of Studebakers. No Internationals, the British were still using these big Internationals. The Studebaker was fine but it had soft springs in the front and with a 4 ton load in the back of one of these Studebaker trucks, the nose would come up and you'd start out and you'd get about 10 miles an hour and it would start bouncing and you'd go from the roof to the bottom and bouncing and then you'd have to stop and start again, and you'd bounce, bounce, bounce. So most of us got out and we took 2 x 4's and drove them in between the front springs so you had no springs at all in the front, it was just dead. But that was the only way to keep them from this solid bouncing. Studebaker trucks, one trip up the road and you could wash them off - I mean we didn't try to except local trips those that made it - but they'd break the back of them. Fords and Dodges, overloading, loading front - they'd break the back. I mean you were hitting potholes that were 2 and 3 feet deep. You'd hit them and you'd go through them, if it didn't blow a tire, it would bust a spring. This was one of the casualties on the road. You had all different nationalities driving. You had Burmese, �Anglo-Burmese, Chinese, Anglo-Chinese, British - and each had a different stint for driving on the road. The Chinese would go up hills and of course hired, they would gas up and of course you'd gas from drums of gas, different gas stops and the Chinese would start down a hill, they'd reach up and cut of the ignition to save a pint of gas and then they'd sell it up at the end of the road to get money out of it. Well of course when you cut off the ignition, you had no power brakes or nothing and they'd go screaming down the hills and this was one of the constant things you were watching the guy in front, looking for some guy trying to pass you on a road that would have only one truck. And there's drop-offs all the way down. It was a rough trip. FRANK BORING: When you arrived there, what did you find in terms of the conditions? What were your feelings as soon as you got there? BOB LOCKE: At Kunming? FRANK BORING: Right. BOB LOCKE: Well it was a long tedious trip up the Burma Road and of course through the roads of China, across the Salween River, through Powshan and it was well over I'd say 2800 miles up the road. That's from Toungoo up through Mandalay and you had all different types of areas that you went through. When we arrived in. Kunming, here was this beautiful hostel downtown. It was a former school and it was a beautiful hostel. Well that was the Number 1 hostel and that was downtown in Kunming. Now they were just setting up the second hostel which was closer to the airdrome. So we took all of the stuff and put it at the airdrome and they were still working on the mat when we arrived and the Chinese were out there breaking rocks - big rocks and breaking into little ones and then put them down and mud and then roll it - and teams rolling it. They made a beautiful runway. Of course dust and dirt and all. But we had no Marston matting which they used in World War II �which would have been wonderful. But the Chinese did this all by hand continually day in day out, rain, sun, anything. FRANK BORING: When you started to get settled in, in Kunming, what was your routine like there? BOB LOCKE: Well the routine there was working at the airdrome, setting up the prop shop, we had a prop shop which was between our second hostel and it was an old Chinese Army base and we set up the different shops there. We set up the prop shop and then one of the first things we tried to find was a good shower, which we had and excellent cooks. We had an overseas Chinese in charge of our food and he fed us good and we had real good food. Now going up and down the Burma Road, was of the things you learned was chow fong, which was fried rice and if it was cooked, you wouldn't eat the normal food, but you'd go in and order chow fong. That's what I subsisted on all my trips up and down the road, was Chinese tea and chow tong. As long as it's cooked, you don't have to worry too much about it. FRANK BORING: So once you were, you mentioned earlier that you started seeing observation planes. BOB LOCKE: That's right. They'd send observation planes over and we would try to alert aircraft to get up and shoot them down. When they would 'fly over then we would get the word from the net, the fact that there was movement coming in from Hanoi, they had taken Hanoi by that time and they were moving in. And all the way from the China border, the radio net would keep telling and you'd sit around and they would have one ball, two ball, three ball, jing bow which was bombing. And it was your alert system. Well they'd run up one ball and nobody would pay any attention. A two ball, you'd start clearing out and a three ball meant it was imminent and they were in the area and you didn't want to be in the city because they were bombing the city or they would bomb the airport. So what you'd do is you'd go through the city and get on the outskirts and �on the outskirts in most of the cities in China, they have the graveyards and you would go into the graveyards, because that was - burying on the surface the mounds, you had almost a perfect bomb shelter. And you'd lie back on this grass in the graveyards and watch them fly over. FRANK BORING: Can you recall the first time you saw the cities actually being bombed? BOB LOCKE: Well one of the trips they hit Kunming and I was on the outskirts there. But I was coming up the road during Powshan, which was in May I believe, early May, and I came up to Powshan, I had a tow truck convoy with me, a Chinese driver and myself and I had Kitten with me that day and I had parked and gone over to the hostel and got food at Powshan hostel. I spent the evening there and the following morning I was getting ready to go on up the road and talked with some of the pilots and they had flown in a bunch from down below, from Loy Wing and they had arrived at Pow Shan airport and they were there and the pilots came in and they were eating. We were talking and about that time the alarm went off. When the alarm went off, pilots started to scramble and take off and the airport is quite a ways away and they were gassing up, and Charlie Bond is one of the only pilots I believe, got airborne that day. He got into them. But they got over Pow Shan and there must have been 20 or 30 aircraft - bombers. They came and we immediately took off out of there when we saw them coming over – and we said those are Japs and he took off and Benny Fuchet was with me. We ran through the gate which was down about 1/4 of a mile - or it seemed like a 1/4 of a mile then, but it must have been a couple of blocks - but anyway the gate was there and we ran down and went out into the graveyard, Benny Fuchet on one side of a mound and me on the other and there was a little pond there. Well they hit this pond with these grass cutters, which are bombs with a stick on them, and the grass cutters came down and it blew me in the air. I got a little piece of shrapnel in my chest and I came back down and I says "You all right Benny?" Well he moaned over �there. Well another fellow and myself ran over and Benny was over there and both of his legs were blown off and must have got a direct hit. We put him on an old door and took him back to the hostel and Doc Rich worked on him, but it was to no avail. It was really frightening. Well we stayed there and about that time - when we first went out, you can dig with your stomach because they've got these ditches that the water runs down from the mess hall, and we immediately hit one of these. They're about 4 inches deep. But we found that the safest place after the first lot came down, we hauled [?] because there's intervals between the bombings. FRANK BORING: You had mentioned Kitten earlier and I didn't realize that you had met her before all this went on. When did you meet her? Tell us about Kitten. BOB LOCKE: Well one of my trips up the road - now of course as Chennault saw me and being we had 5 prop technicians and we were tripping over each other in the prop shop and Chennault needed somebody to run truck convoys - in other words, single trucks or a group of trucks, up and down the road taking stuff back and forth. He asked me if I'd like to do it and I said sure and so I got an increase in pay and I turned out to be running truck convoys. One of my trips down to Lashio, which was like a border town - I mean the frontier westerns – everybody had a gun, everybody was mixed. They would go around, there'd be shootings, there was music going and blaring. We came out one night after eating there in a restaurant and these two Burmese drivers were coming up the road with this cat - this Snow Leopard and they were towing her with a rope and beating her with a stick and I told them not to beat on the cat and they said it's none of your business, it's not yours, and I said, "How much do you want for it?" Well they said 35 rupees. So I fished in my pocket and gave them 35 rupees and took the cat and took her over to my truck. Well I opened the canopy on the back of the truck and put the cat in there and tied her on and these guys walked up there with me and they saw I had a load of - of course we're cumshawing anything we can - cumshaw is anything you can get, �you take - and I had Eagle brand condensed milk, cases of it. And one of the guys said, "What do you want for a case of the condensed milk?" and I says 35 rupees, so I got the cat for a case of condensed milk. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88_Locke_BurmaBob_1991-02-07_v02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Locke, Robert P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Burma Bob" Locke interview (video and transcript, 2 of 8), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke discusses his experience doing mechanical work for the AVG aircrafts and working with the pilots. He also discusses his first impression of General Chennault and hearing the news of Pearl Harbor. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/38f72710619484b4a540c7f5d9a9ad39.mp4 b1cff18be432912942b84aaa4dffc946 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2712c5b275dc404d080b41be6681b8f1.pdf 111179c44446b1c9e5022285a21b7e6d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interview Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert “Burma Bob” P. Locke Date of interview: February 7, 1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 3] FRANK BORING: So the story about Kitten and the soldiers. BOB LOCKE: Well, whenever we got to a town - you know driving up the road, it took a long time to get there from one town to the other - we would stop and live off the land at the time. If we didn't have a place to stay, we'd stay in the truck, but normally, with all the equipment and everything we would find a place to stay. Well anytime you parked in a town, you'd try to park on the outskirts of town so that in case of a bombing you wouldn't lose it. But people being people would be very curious and we lost quite a few things. So what I came up with was hiring - I'd go to the first military compound as I went into town and I would hire two soldiers. And you'd put one right at the truck and he would patrol around the truck, armed and you'd put another one at about 100 yards away and he would stay back there and watch the first one. Well if the first one that you gave the job - if he got in the truck or tried to get in the truck, that guy had his orders to shoot him, the one that was away. If the other one out there tried to approach the truck, he had orders to shoot him. And the Chinese – I’ll tell ya—one time I came up the road out of Lashio and I was driving just a single truck and these Chinese soldiers - a whole group of them, must have been a company, there was a bunch of them, they had Mauser rifles and all - this officer came over and he says, "I'm commandeering your truck'' - to me, he explained it to me, and I said "[?] No AVG and [?], which is going and he says, "That's right". Well he broke out �this little 32 revolver and stuck it in my face. I reached down and took my 45 and stuck it in his face and we were at a stand-off. And he said, “yes” and I said, “no” and so he looked at the barrel of mine and he looked at the barrel of his and he said "Okay, you go" so it was things like this that we ran into making trips and it was an adventure all the time. Kitten - one of the trips up the road, I was going just after the Salween River Gorge and came up the far side. Well you're curving from about 7000 feet down to the Salween Gorge, across the bridge and up the other side and it takes hours to do. Well these trucks are right hand drive, not left hand drive, and Kitten had her side. She'd sit up there in the front seat with me and had her window. Well this one day, hot and driving, and she decided she wanted to get up behind me. Well she got up behind me and started looking out this window and the first thing you know, she was by that time about 110 pounds of her - and she pushed me forward and I'm trying to drive the truck with my steering wheel like this. I reached up and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and I put her down on the bottom of the truck and I said "you stay there" and she went "haahh" and I said "Don't you fizz at me, I'll show you who's boss." and I boxed her again and she stayed down there. Well the road straightened out, I got at the top and started down cruising along good, she came up and got up alongside of me and put a paw up on my shoulder and rears up alongside of me and looks at me and she goes sluuuurp, sluuurp, licking the side of my face and I says “Uhhuh, I’ll show you who’s boss” she rears back and she goes - powww - and she caught me on the jaw and I’m telling you I had to stop the truck, both feet just stop like this. Then she goes over on her side and typical woman, she looks at me and says, “I’ll show you who’s boss.” So this was just one of the times that she - she was a pleasure to almost all the guys up there. Of course, some of them were afraid of her, but most of them respected her and she was not too nice. She didn't like women, so to speak. There was one story that - of course Olga Greenlaw spotted her and Olga wanted her right off the bat. She came over to the second hostel. And Olga wasn't even supposed to come over to the second hostel. But anyway she came over there �and she was in one of these white sharkskin suits. That was the days when these white sharkskin slack suits - and she was a beautiful woman. She came over and she said "I want the leopard" and I said "no, she doesn't like women" she says "oh all animals like me". Well we had her tied between two trucks. She went up and she approached it and I said "Olga, don't go near the cat" and boy about that time old Kitten jumped up on her with paws up on here and started slurp and scared her so bad she broke water right then! Just ruined that sharkskin suit. Well, needless to say Olga went to the General and wanted the General to shoot the cat and he said "you shouldn't have been over there." Well Harvey Greenlaw started getting rough on me, so needless to say, Chennault called me and says "you've got some stuff to pick up at Loiwing" so I got in the truck and took off. FRANK BORING: You mentioned about the soldiers where you'd have to hire one to watch the other and the other to watch another. But as I understand it with Kitten on board now you didn't have to worry about that anymore. BOB LOCKE: Well with Kitten aboard I had no problems anymore. I didn't have to go by the military and she would just stay there. She wouldn't stay in the front all the time, I'd put her back in between the load and pull the curtain - the canvas tarp across it and she would stay in there and I'd feed her outside, and of course she was tied in there. Well we pulled into Pow Shan one night and got in there and of course the curiosity of the Chinese - I had just put her in the bed and I had fed her and put her down and she was inside between 4 Allison engines. Well there's not much room to crawl between the 4 Allison engines and I'd say about 18 inches. She was clear up in the front near the bed of the truck, near the truck body. Two Chinese crawled up in there and started up through there. Well one of the guys that was standing there says "watch this, they don't know she's up there" and they went up there - curiosity- and all of a sudden [?] and boy they broke out of there and they came flying out, back down this way, hit, turned in midair and hit, running and �everybody scattered. She came out and looked around and it was something watching this cat. FRANK BORING: What was your relationship with the Chinese? BOB LOCKE: The Chinese to us were wonderful people. We had no problems with them. Periodically you'd have a run-in. Of course, at that time Madame Chiang Kai-Shek had set up a 5 year new life program, so all of the bawdy houses and all of that had been closed down. About the only thing you had was to go down - and we used to gather - on Tuesdays they use to make yoghurt ice-cream at one of these places in Kunming and it was a favorite. We'd go down and we'd get a suitcase full of Chinese money and go down there and buy this yoghurt ice-cream and of course there was only so much available. They were to me most wonderful. One case that I had a problem was coming from the first hostel, going to the second hostel, just as we started out through the middle part of Kunming, a Jing bow - well Kunming was laid right alongside of a lake and a Jing bow called out. Well, I was driving a jeep that day with no windshield, the windshield was down and just as I started through there, this guy with a yo-yo pole with - they had cleaned out the cesspools - and he had this yo-yo pole with two buckets on either end and he stepped out just in time and I just hooked him enough so that he spun around and all this stuff went all over me and in the jeep - I forgot about the Jing bow, I headed down and I think old Musgrove was behind me because he followed me, and I went down and I drove that jeep as far as I could into the lake and I sponged off, but it still didn't do any good. He wouldn't let me ride with him, he'd let me ride on the back of the jeep, but not in the jeep. And you know for two weeks after that, every time I'd go to the chow hall, I'd sit down to start to eat and all these guys would get up and shove off. I took more showers in that two week period - but I'll tell you it was horrible. FRANK BORING: How was your relationship with the British people? Either the pilots or the – did they have mechanics and all that there too? �BOB LOCKE: They had some mechanics and quite a few, as a matter of fact, on one of our trips we hired about 5 or 6 British mechanics when Rangoon fell. We hired them and brought them up the road with us because they had been abandoned by the British. I forget what their names were, but Chennault took them on as members of the group and they stayed with the group for a long time. FRANK BORING: Tell us about the fall of Rangoon. BOB LOCKE: Well I wasn't there at the time it fell, I was making trips up from Kunming, so I heard an awful lot but I would rather that other people that were actually there would tell you about that. FRANK BORING: Just about when you first got the cat, did you have to train or tame the cat? BOB LOCKE: No, no. No there was no training it was just I guess from about the age of – well about 26 pounds was when I first got her and of course you had to cut her nails, but then you wore real heavy leather gloves because she was a little frisky. FRANK BORING: There's a big difference between - you had a Chinese name for it – but scrounging, trying just for survival, trying to find whatever was available. In wartime situations sometimes stores are blown open and things are just lying there, who knows where the owners are. There's a big difference though between that kind of scrounging and black marketeering. What did you see in terms of both of those? BOB LOCKE: Well most of the time we'd go down and we'd have certain loads to bring back and in observing - for instance on the fall of Rangoon, we went down to different places in Mandalay and it was going to fall down. Well they had go-downs, instead of warehouses in town, they'd have go-downs, as they called them. They would be out in the forest and they would be just like a cave with a big door on it �and camouflaged. Well we would try to find out where these godowns were and when Loy Wing fell, we went down just before Lashio fell and Loy Wing was - we went around the back road into Lashio and we knew where two of these go-downs were. Well the CNAC hostel, which was Chinese Air Line hostel was there. We knew that the hostel had beautiful inner-spring mattresses. Well Janski went down with his truck, an International, and he loaded it up with these mattresses, a whole load of mattresses out of the hostel. I got two of the mattresses, put them in my truck. But I remembered where a go-down was and I went over there to this go-down and blew the lock off the door and opened it up and inside was Raleigh cigarettes, cases of them and booze, all sorts of booze. Well I loaded by truck completely with all this booze and put two mattresses up at the back. Well when we drove back into Loy Wing, we came in and old Deal Williams, he was there and some of the pilots and they opened the tarp off Janski's and they saw all these mattresses and they said "What you got Locke?" and I said "Well, I don't know'' and they opened it up and they said "More mattresses" and I said "take the mattress down". Well when they took the mattress down here's all this booze. They started grabbing cases of this stuff and that was when Williams says "leave it alone. Locke take-off up the road and use this" so we did. I took it up and that was what we opened the second hostel bar with. FRANK BORING: Let's now look at Colonel Osley - let's look at December after the first battles, the 20th and the 23rd. Now your job became a little bit different. It went from just maintaining and training some people. Now you had a situation where bombers were coming over, fighters were coming over, fighters were going up against those fighters, shooting, getting destroyed or whatever. What was happening during that period of time, once the battle started? What were you feeling like, what kind of reactions did you have? BOB LOCKE: You mean after December 7th? �FRANK BORING: Yeah because the actual battles began I guess the 20th or so, so that's the period I want to focus on, December, January, through there. BOB LOCKE: Well one of the groups went down - I forget which group it was but I think the Third Pursuit went down and we were all up there at Kunming preparing. The First Pursuit I know left to relieve them later, but those first battles, being in Kunming and working up there were a distance from the war, as we are today. You just hear about it and there would be reports. We heard about Hoffman getting shot down and losing him, Cokey Hoffman, and the battles and how much they won and the pilots flying back up periodically, who got hurt. In the meantime Kunming was being bombed periodically and we would alert aircraft. It's real rough to explain, it's just trying to find a hole and crawling into it, and that's about all most of us did. We had areas that the planes were used to repair and all were over in the trees and they never hit - being between the airport, our prop shop was in a more or less camouflaged area and we didn't ever get hit right there at the prop shop. FRANK BORING: Did you ever witness the bombing of the cities? I mean actually be there and see the... BOB LOCKE: Well at Pow Shan of course I was right there when they hit Pow Shan and bombed there. FRANK BORING: Why don't you describe that for us? BOB LOCKE: Well we stepped out of the hostel, we'd had lunch and looked out and I said to Ben Fuchet, I said "Jiminy, look at that formation" and he said "Those are Japs" and you feel like there's no place safe. Every bomb looks like it's got your name on it. And anybody that says they're not a Christian and not scared, both come out at that time and it’s survival, is all it is. Well when they hit Pow Shan, they killed over 10,000 people in that one bombing - because they �caught them flatfooted. Everybody was in the city and there was no warning at all. FRANK BORING: How did you react to that? I mean you'd had some contact with the Chinese people, you'd been in town, you'd met some of these people. What was your reaction - I mean I know you felt you were in danger, but what was your reaction to seeing these thousands of people being slaughtered? BOB LOCKE: Well it's like anything else. The whole thing is so dreadful. When Benny Fuchet, when we took him in, there was one little Chinese boy sitting over there waiting for his turn to be treated. Not a whimper out of him, but his whole shoulder was blown off. I mean his arm was gone and just a bare shoulder and he's sitting over there by himself, waiting for somebody to treat him. Doc Rich was working, the Chinese doctor was working, the local doctors were working and it was just... war has never settled anything and it never will, as far as I'm concerned. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88_Locke_BurmaBob_1991-02-07_v03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Locke, Robert P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Burma Bob" Locke interview (video and transcript, 3 of 8), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke describes his relationship with the Chinese and British during his time with the AVG, in addition to the fall of Rangoon. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c20952006d0cf9333b4b3bf230edb961.mp4 180a60117d16fab008853682ae01c8ff https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/de60d260b9bf37b5b4f0ca451e876c1e.pdf d004134bd71072a25608e9ff16c987ed PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interview Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert “Burma Bob” P. Locke Date of interview: February 7, 1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 4] FRANK BORING: The British stopped for tea? BOB LOCKE: One of the single trips I made up the road when we were coming out of Toungoo, the war was in full earnest and of course Rangoon had fallen and the British were moving north. Everybody was doing a delaying action fight. Well, we had just left Mandalay and between Mandalay and Lashio, of course as fast as you could go, and I came along the river and, I think it was the Irrawaddy, came along the river and there were a whole bunch of trucks parked nose to tail, a whole series of them, British trucks. Well they were down at the river and having tea and it's in broad daylight, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Well I've heard about the British and their tea, but I went down told them "I don't know if you guys know it, just about 2 or 3 miles behind me, is a whole group of Japanese coming up the road." One of the things that the Japanese would do is, a convoy would pull through, different convoys and they would pull through into an area, the Japanese would come out of the brush, get the last truck, kill the driver and then pull up alongside, and as they pulled up alongside, they could annihilate a whole convoy by just pulling up, blowing a horn, a guy will move over and they'll knock him off. So there's different tactics that they used. This day I pulled down there and told them that right behind me, I don't know how far back - but a couple of miles at least, they're coming. And I said "you better get underway." And they said "no, everything is fine, we can depend on it, everything is fine." I �bummed a couple of bottles of beer from them and it was hot, I took my truck and went past their convoy, parked and put it in a bunch of brush and bamboo and about a half a mile, walked back, got the beer, went back down on the river and put the beer into the river to cool it off, because they drink their beer hot. So I decided to cool it off and while I was down there cooling off the beer, I decided to go swimming and I went swimming for a while and was floating around there having a good time and I heard shots back at the camp. Well I'm about a quarter of a mile away from them. Well I didn't even think about the beer, all I could think about was getting out of there and I took off, went roaring back up there and got in my truck and ended up in Lashio. I drove right straight through. I think I drove in shorts - I don't think I even took time to put any clothes on. But from another group that came up - you know they'll hit an area and then they'll go back into the jungle and the next group comes through they find them. Well some of the trucks came through afterwards, this whole group had been wiped out. They had destroyed the trucks and they had completely wiped out this whole group down there on this river bottom. FRANK BORING: What was this experience you had about being strafed? BOB LOCKE: Well one trip I was going up and just when Lashio fell it was hurry, get out and go, I came through Lashio and just the other side of Lashio, as you get into the Chinese country, in other words, from Burma into China, they had a gas go down there. At that time I had about 14 trucks with me, I had combined trucks. Sutliffe [?] was with me and we were trying to hit for the Salween River Gorge as fast as we could. I hired, at that time, my first overseas Chinese, he'd been middle weight champion boxer, I found out later at the International Settlement in Shanghai. He was running a Chinese convoy. Well they were lined up at the gas dump with all the drums of gas and here's his trucks lined up and I came up behind and so I pulled right around and went up to the front of the line and said "my truck's next." He argued with me and I said "how much do you make?" and he told me and I said "I'll double your �salary. When you get to Kunming I'll double your salary." He says "Kunming nothing, you hired me now." And I took him right then off the Chinese. He says "All you other trucks pull out of the way." We loaded ours up and went by and gassed up. Just as we got the far side of that trip, they started strafing. A couple of Zeros came down - I guess it was Zeros, we didn't notice what type - but they were firing at us. And what we did was pull down around the area and here were Lame Ducks on the edge of an open - it's like California walks and all and no place to hide, no place to hide at all. They didn't hit any of our trucks but they made a sweep down and about that time, out of the sky came a couple of '40's and took these guys and ran them away. But they actually shot at us and as we went across the Salween River Bridge, up the far side, I had sent some of the trucks ahead of me, and Sutliffe was up there. Sut had crashed his truck and he'd pulled over to the side, his engine was ruined and everything. One of the guys passing had run him into some boulders and had ruined the truck and he had been strafed. There were bullet holes in the truck. Well it was like riding your horse and riding by and grabbing him. I said "I'm not gonna stop because I've got this other side to go up." So I slowed down and he threw his gear in and away we went. That was the day that I had Kitten with me too and he shared the seat with Kitten. Depending on who was the biggest, he got the window. FRANK BORING: The incident that has now gone down in history is the Salween Bridge – was one of the last events of the AVG before they broke up. Can you tell us as much as you can about what happened there? BOB LOCKE: We knew that they had mined it. They had gone ahead, they'd mined the bridge and they had warned us that they were going to do it. Well we were still trying to get as many people as we could out of Loy Wei and the Salween River Bridge was one of the only ways that even the soldiers could get across. Everybody was retreating up the road. Well we went down the hill as you came down from 7,000 feet cutting down and taking an hour or two to get down to the bridge, crossed the bridge and I believe that I was �one of the last trucks that got across the bridge, because just as I was going up the other side, they blew up the bridge and it fell at that time. Well some patrol had got through, because from the far side they hit - I had a truck with some Allison engines in it - and they hit the truck. I don't know mortars or whatever, they hit my truck and I took off just running as I could to the bush. Well I went all day long. I didn't have Kitten with me, I'd left her up there because I'd flown down there to bring a truck up and I took across country. The first day I came to an area where there was a cave up in the side and there was a ravine down below and I crawled into this cave, which was on the side of the wall. There was hardly any room to stretch out and of course I'd been driving for 7 days, practically no sleep. I was afraid I'd go to sleep and just as I got in this cave, I thought well it's really bad, but this patrol is chasing me, I'm sure they're chasing me. They made camp right down below and it's a Japanese patrol and they made camp right down below and about 10 feet above me they had put a guard up there. Well, if you think you don't have any faith, I was in this cave, I was sure I was going to go to sleep and I said "Good God, what shall I do now?" And just as clear as I'm talking now I heard "Fear not, my son, for I am with you." And I'll tell you, faith in the foxholes, you've got it. FRANK BORING: The bridge was blown by the Chinese - right? BOB LOCKE: It was blown by a team of Chinese - yes. FRANK BORING: If you could just describe, just before they blew it, what you saw as I understand it was just packed full all along the Burma Road? BOB LOCKE: Well it was packed full and people were on both sides. One of the things was you'd try to pick up if you had room on your truck, you'd try to pick up anybody that you could and take them up. But the one thing that you didn't do, leaving Lashio one trip on this hectic time - a Mongi [?] Priest jumped up on the back of my truck and I had about 10 or 12 people on there already - they were the �ones that would - they were very sympathetic with the Japanese and I told him to get down and he said no and he broke out his gun on me. Well here I went up and got my Tommy gun, went back around and burped through the air and I says "Get off." and so he did. I'm afraid that I would have cut him down because he could have destroyed the whole truck. But the Salween River Gorge, the day that I went across there was a lull in between. They'd taken a lot of people. And then this other group was coming down and at that time we didn't know who they were. But they started shelling me as I was going up the far side, so undoubtedly they sent a patrol after me. Now this patrol, two days later, this night I woke up in the morning and they were gone. So I followed them for the next two days. Every time they would stop, I would stop. And you can live off the land under a rock you can get a grub, you can get water from blades of grass. But I lived for two days just existing like that. The third day I came across a Chinese patrol, because I passed them I figured I was getting someplace and the Chinese patrol annihilated this group of Japanese that were chasing me. Now these are things that were in the war diary, Olga wrote this stuff. I don't know if it ever came out or not. FRANK BORING: How did you communicate with the Chinese soldiers? Did you have one of those patches? BOB LOCKE: No. I had no patches. I had the regular Chinese uniform, but we had the Chinese insignia. I had the Chinese - a little slip that was authorized and of course my I.D. card which showed who I was, an AVG I.D. card with my picture. FRANK BORING: Did you find that most of the people you met or talked to or had contact with the Chinese specifically, knew who the AVG were? BOB LOCKE: Yes, they really knew who the AVG were. They knew the difference between the British and the Americans. Normally an American, I don't care where he is, he stands out like a sore thumb, especially in a foreign country. �FRANK BORING: What was the Chinese reaction to you as an AVG - once they knew you were AVG? Was there a difference in the way that they dealt with you? BOB LOCKE: No. They knew what we were there for. They knew our airplanes and even driving trucks, you'd pull into a little town and the people there were very courteous to you, as they always are. Of course they want to sell you things. The teahouses, we'd go in and order food and living off the land as it was, I found that fried rice, chow fong, was about the favorite food. I ate more fried rice than anything. There you know it's all cooked and then your hot Chinese tea. It's all prepared for you. FRANK BORING: Towards the end - before the AVG disbanded, there were rumors I understand that the AVG was going to disband - of course your contract was going to run out since you were the first group. Could you tell us about that last month or so and then leading up to when Bissell finally arrived? BOB LOCKE: Well we knew that the war was going as it was and we had got word ahead of time. Chennault had gone down to talk with Stillwell, who was down in India. Chennault was given a Colonel's commission back into the armed forces. Joe Stillwell was fighting a battle there. Doctor Seagraves was treating and working with Joe Stillwell at the time. I saw Doctor Seagraves quite a few times. Loy Wing was about to fall. I made one of the last trips down there and the General was down there, he'd returned. From Magway some of the pilots were flying in. I remember this day, Schilling came in and he came in on one of the CW Curtis-Wright 21's that they had built at Bangalore and built at Loy Wing. Well it looks like a Zero and we were sitting around expecting a Jing bow any time and all of a sudden, down at the end of the field, over the mountains, came this plane making a low-flying run at it. This is something that a lot of people probably remember that we all broke from the ready shack and - I don't know what I was doing down �there away from my trucks at the time - but I was down there, and General Chennault was with me at the time. We ran out to jump in the slit trenches and there was no room, so we saw one over alongside of it, not far from it and the General Chennault and I ran over and jumped in it and it had been an outhouse and they had moved it and we were knee deep in this stuff and when Schilling came down, we both ducked down into it - I mean it was horrible. But he came out of there and we were sloshing this stuff around, and I know Tex Hill - I think it was - he ran out and got in a jeep and ran out there before Schilling could make a turn and come into the ready shack. He told him "you'd better go on up to Kunming, the General's pretty mad." FRANK BORING: So towards the latter part, you had heard rumors that you might be inducted back in. What led up to - when Bissell finally arrived what were you hearing and then what happened when you met up with Bissell? BOB LOCKE: Well July 4th was set for our retiring date. In other words, we'd completed our contract, those that wanted to go into the service, the General had talked to us and most of us had agreed to go into it. I was Navy and I think I would have been offered a Lieutenant J.G. in the Navy or the reserves if I wanted to stay. Of course we would stay six months to continue after and then when the Army Air Corps took over, we could return to the States and it was all a beautiful promise. Our planes were getting low, the personnel were getting tired, most of us wanted to get back to the States and get back into our own organizations, but this six month extension wasn't too bad. So the party was arranged for the July 4th and we had quite beautiful food and all and the Generalissimo - the first time we got in contact with General Bissell, he came over with Colonel George and an Aide and it was a Sunday and we were at the first hostel having a ball game. They came up and we were sitting on the steps of the first hostel, resting between the innings, and this Aide came up and says "'ten-tion" and we sat there for a minute and looked up and said "what do you mean "ten-tion?" He �says "On your feet - Attention, the General's coming." And we said you don't tell us what attention is and we concentrated on that pretty rough - well we were proud of the fact that we had done a good job and we were all companion feeling of the way we were. I don't think that there was a man out there at that time, if the General would have said "cut off your arm at the shoulder" - I don't think he would have questioned it - he would have done it. FRANK BORING: So Bissell finally arrives? BOB LOCKE: This was the first day we saw Bissell. This was just before the party. Well, at the party, there were many speeches and many toasts and we had a wonderful dinner. Then General Chennault stood up and he said "I think that it's one of the most wonderful things in the world of you men staying and I appreciate your support, I know that you want to get back to the States and you'll go as soon as possible and I appreciate you almost en masse, staying with us." Bissell stood up and he said a few words and complimented the General on things and then, all of a sudden, if he would have just spoke and sat down, everything would have been fine, but the first thing he did, he eyeball to eyeball, here's a bunch of ex-Navy men, he says "well, if you didn't volunteer to stay, I could have had you drafted." Well, with that we got up en masse and walked out and that was the time that this group - a lot of them left. As a matter of fact, the first transportation out of there, the General talked to most of us and asked us if we'd stay two weeks extra to check the Air Force and Army Air Corps out, which we did. I had Sergeant with me that I showed the trips down to the different ways of running the truck convoys and this was my job. Went to the prop shop, Ricks had shoved off and gone down to Bangalore in India, so I showed him the prop shop and I was able to secure and that was it. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88_Locke_BurmaBob_1991-02-07_v04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Locke, Robert P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Burma Bob" Locke interview (video and transcript, 4 of 8), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke discusses the historic incident that took place at Salween Bridge, the last month before the AVG disbanded, and the arrival of General Bissell. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/14b23bb2a91057101cdb344a71e621b9.mp4 dd58a4a96b79aa0b9b9e4b11e086ed8a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e5f48fe102bc5ad9945ae7d8175d6266.pdf 70a275604c42fa5ad5fcfef4a6049d28 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interview Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert “Burma Bob” P. Locke Date of interview: February 7, 1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 5] FRANK BORING: The baseball game. BOB LOCKE: This Sunday we were having, as recreation, a baseball game and this staff car pulled up and out of the staff car came - looked like a Captain - came charging over there to us and weeded through and yelling '"Ten-shun, 'Ten-shun" and I guess we should have jumped up, but we were sitting around on the steps and having some iced tea and he says "Don't you hear me, I said Attention?" and one of the guys said "What do you mean attention, we're civilians, we don't have to stand up to attention." Well General Bissell, I suppose, Colonel George came up with a smile on his face and he weeded his way through, Bissell came behind him and he weeded his way through. We may have given a little bit for that star, but still and all it was our first contact with Bissell. As we say, you know who is giving the orders and you know who is back taking it easy when the rough stuff is coming through. I don't think, as a whole, any of us objected – we had heard rumors that he was going to be there - and of course, Chennault had been out there fighting all this time and Bissell had been in the States. Well, when General Chennault, as a matter of fact, he got a spot promotion of "General" at the time "Brigadier" and he - of course Bissell outranked him and Bissell was overall in charge of the Tenth and we didn't like this - of him just moving in and taking over. I think that we were a little jealous of the way they treated the General at that time. �FRANK BORING: At the party? BOB LOCKE: Well then, on the July 4th on the completion of our contract, we had a big at Kunming. A lot of the pilots and a lot of the personnel were stationed elsewhere, but those of us that were still in Kunming, we were invited to this party and at that time we were given the scarves, like this one over here. They were given to us by the Generalissimo and there were awards, recognition for endeavor and General Chennault stood up and he made a speech and he said that he was so proud of the group, the fact that all of us, almost to a man, had agreed to stay for a six month period and go into whichever force we wanted to go into. As I was going back into the Navy. Each one would be assigned to stay and then in six months they would fly us back to the States and then we would go back to our regular forces. After he spoke and the applause, then General Bissell stood up and he was introduced and General Bissell started and he praised us for our staying with the General and honoring and working with him so well. Then he hit us with a bombshell. He said "Of course you realize that if you didn't volunteer, I could have you drafted." Well this was whack! It hit us - and I think en masse, the whole group stood up - because most of us were either ex-Marines or ex-Navy and drafting - we didn't even know what a draft was in those times. Well we stood up en masse and walked out. So the following day or the following next two days, we were around in the different areas at #1 hostel and #2 hostels, some of the guys arranged transportation and left, because our contract was completed. The General called a meeting and he had us over at the first hostel, those who were left, and he asked if most of us would volunteer to stay for a two week period extra because here came a whole group of Army Air Corps personnel, who had never been in contact with the enemy, they didn't know how to fight, they didn't know the lay of the land, they didn't know where the different things - even the ground crew didn't know where stuff was - we agreed to stay two weeks extra. They guaranteed us that they would give us a flight out to India. Make �arrangements and we'd be flown back to the States if we stayed that two weeks extra. This was with the bidding of Bissell. So Chennault promised us, we figured it was good. Well, the war made a turn for the worse, it seems, because when we completed the two weeks, and at that time even Sandell was lost in this two week period staying over, he had just married Petach and he had married Emma Jane - our first wedding out there - and married the nurse - and he was lost and this was another blow to most of us. Our morale was low, all we could do was try to get out of there. On the flight out from Kunming, we flew into Dinjon [?] and then Karachi. Well between going over the hump - I remember I was in this C-46 and there was a Colonel sitting alongside of me, well most of us had gone down and drawn parachutes and we had our parachute, and this Colonel was sitting over there, had his briefcase, but no parachute. Well we were flying over the hump and about that time this Colonel - the pilot calls the Crew Chief up and he says "we're gonna have to start throwing stuff out, I don't think we're gonna make it over the top and everybody put on your parachute." Well he starts looking around and he turned to me and he says "Give me your parachute" and I says "Not me, this is my parachute, I drew it." He says "I order you to give me your parachute." I says "I'm not in your army Dad, no way are you gonna get this parachute." Well the Sergeant was there and he ordered this Sergeant Crew Chief to give him his parachute. He talked to the pilot and in the meantime the pilot figured that we were still doing all right and we had thrown a bunch of cargo out, but we didn't have to bail out and so we were over the hump and started down the other side and he'd given the Colonel this job. So we get into New Delhi and we landed at Dinjon, got out of the aircraft, threw our parachutes on our shoulders and started trudging. Operations were about a half a mile down the road. Well this Colonel left the parachute there and the pilot came out and he's a Captain and he says "Colonel you left your parachute" and he says "No, that's the Sergeant's parachute." "No sir'', he says "when you took that parachute away from him, that's your parachute, you take it down to operations." And he took off carrying this �parachute and I'm telling you he got down there and his hat was flopping around his ears - it was something good to see. FRANK BORING: So what happened after you left? BOB LOCKE: Well from there we went on and we got another flight out of there into New Delhi. At New Delhi that was where they dumped us. There we had to make arrangements on the local train from New Delhi to Karachi and we rode the train night and day to Karachi, India. You talk about abandoned children, we felt like abandoned children. Some of the guys had made arrangements to go to work at Bangalore at the factory down there and the rest of us all we could think about was getting home. So we got into Karachi and as a group, hit Karachi, went to a hotel and stayed a couple of days, but it was a little stiff on the pocketbook and we didn't know how long we were gonna be there. We saw ships come in, unload, and they'd take off and we figured oh maybe a day or two we'll be aboard a ship. We had to report to the American Consul and the Consul said there is no way of transportation, we haven't any transportation. We said we were promised flights back and there are no flights going back. The war in the Mediterranean or someplace had changed for the worse. We asked and were given permission to go to one of the outlying fields there, which was an Army Air Corps field, and we stayed there in tents and we were free to go anytime we wanted. It was the first Coca Cola's we'd seen for about 14 months and I'll tell you those nickel Coke machines, we just scoffed those things. I think the first Coke I had, I think I drank six in one standing and still didn't quench my thirst. So we, later on with nothing to do, go to movies - there was a local movie in Karachi, and one of the days we were there at Karachi waiting to go, we went to a movie and I forget what it was, but as all movies they first played "God Save the Queen" and everybody stood up. Now you're a mixed brand of military personnel and with the AVG too. Well I was in the balcony right on the edge of the balcony and there was a sailor standing alongside of me and I learned later, a Canadian sailor too. We stood at attention while �they played "God Save the Queen". Then they struck up "The Star Spangled Banner'' and right behind me, a Limey booed and when he did, the sailor grabbed him and threw him bodily off the balcony and a battle royal started. Well, I turned around to this Canadian and reared back and I though "well this is it, it's fight or faint" and so he says "Wait a minute, Yank, I'm one of you" and I said "What do you mean you're one of me?" -and he says "I'm a Canadian" and I said "Good" and about that time the whistles started blowing, the M.P.'s started coming, he and I ran around, jumped in the box to box and down on the stage, and out the back stage door. You know in 1959 I was in Kingstree, South Carolina and I told this story and I noticed this guy that I had never met before in my life. He was an electrician, worked for the electrical company there. He glanced and his face turned and he says "You were there?" and I said "Yes" and he said "I was the sailor that threw that Limey off the balcony and I spent the night in the brig." So you see it's a small world - the things that you travel through. One of the other instances, going up and down the road, we had a group that was from the Embassy up in Chun King and they were furnishing and bringing supplies up for the Embassy and one of them was a Lieutenant, a Senior Grade Lieutenant that had been on the Tutawheeler, and the Tutawheeler down in Singapore or Shanghai or someplace had been sunk, and they were up there. Well they had 3 trucks that they used, enlisted personnel and this officer in charge of them. I would meet him on the road and we'd swap food and swap stories and swap different information. He would stop at our hostel. But all I knew, I just knew him by name and called him "Lieutenant". When we left and came back to the States and I rejoined the Navy - I shipped over in the Navy - I went to the Bureau and it took us from July and the later part of August we waited around in Karachi to try to get out of there and we couldn't. So we decided, these ships coming and going, Sutliffe and I got a smart idea and six of us got together and we went and we hired camels on Saturday, which was a holiday, but we knew that the Embassy was there and we got in front of the Embassy and rode around in a circle on these camels with a bottle of whiskey �and here both of us have beards and saying "The American Consul is Shit" and we kept screaming it out. Well, this was our first time of rebelling and we rebelled real good and eventually it took about a half hour or maybe 3/4 of an hour, but the American Consul came out and made arrangements and we were loaded aboard the Mariposa in the following days and we were on our way back to the States. But this was the only way we got to come back. FRANK BORING: Looking back on it now, what do you feel about those days that year that you spent there? How do you feel about that? BOB LOCKE: I thought it was one of the most fulfilling and gratifying times of my life. The companions that we met are more closer than family. As I said, we get older, we're down to less than 100 I believe at the present time, that still go to the meetings and we're coming up on our 50th anniversary and I'll tell you, in 50 years we as a group, the American Volunteer Group, are closer than blood relatives and the wives also. Any of these reunions that we have, if we didn't agree and we couldn't have the money or anything, the wives would come up with it because they love it just as much as we do. Now, with that, we've got the children and the grandchildren are coming up now. No, I don't think that there'll ever be another group like this. I think that there's a wonderful comradery with personnel in the service, but I don't think that there'll ever be a group of volunteers that come up like this ever again. FRANK BORING: What do you feel the AVG as a group accomplished in that year? BOB LOCKE: You know after Pearl Harbor with the loss of alt the ships, we had shipmates that were lost at Pearl Harbor. Though it's a distant thing, we were continually getting our butt knocked off. The Flying Tigers, as it was said, a small of group of personnel, a small group of men, with a small group of aircraft, obsolete aircraft, aircraft that our military didn't even want that we got lend-lease through the British didn't want it, a consignment of aircraft which lend-lease paid for twice I believe, once to the British and then �once again when we were taken over by the Army Air Corps, they had to pay the Chinese for those old dilapidated aircraft too, so typically, this is one of these things that you run into believe that the AVG gave the spirit to the American people. It gave them a sense of relief, the fact that we can win. I know that through the war I was back in the Navy, I went to flight school as an enlisted pilot, I came out of flight school, reported to the West Coast as an enlisted pilot. I ended up in a utility squadron but I flew in the Navy for years, retired in '58, married a Navy nurse and I'll tell you, I think the background that we have, the teachings, the spirit that we had, has stayed with the American people and it will, it will give them that incentive that when you want to you can really do it and with just bare nothing. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88_Locke_BurmaBob_1991-02-07_v05 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Locke, Robert P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-02-07 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Burma Bob" Locke interview (video and transcript, 5 of 8), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert "Burma Bob" Locke by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Locke was recruited to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG) from the Navy, where he was a Propeller Speciallist. He served his full term with the unit and was honorably discharged in 1942 when the AVG disbanded. In this tape, Locke describes the events that happened during their final days in the AVG and his overall feelings on their accomplishments serving as Flying Tigers. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng